Temptations
by CaliXOBabiOX
Summary: FINAL CHAPTER! please read and review this one, guys! haha R&R NEW CHAPTER 32
1. Chapter 1: SummaryConsquences

Wonderful Summerland Supporters,

This is my new Summerland fanfic, titled **Temptations** (at least for now – I might change it later on, but I will let you all know in case that happens). So before you read it, I just wanted to set the mood so I don't have a hundred people asking me what the fuck is going on, because it's surrounded by a lot of drama from the actual TV show. So, make sure you **read the following paragraph(s)**.

Okay, this story takes place right after Bradin overdoses on the drugs and falls down the stairs in front of Ava (and I believe Susannah as well?). He is obviously taken to the hospital, and basically the story picks up from that spot.

**A little background information**:

Since I do not have the time / don't feel like going through my old Summerland tapes (yes, I taped about 20 of the 24 episodes) and information, during this time –

-** Callie is going out with Bradin** (they have not yet / will never get to that big fight blowout and she will not fall for Lucas) and **they are both still deeply in love and have had sex**.

- Since this whole incident started his love for professional surfing (I believe?) I will have him **no longer wanting to become a pro surfer**. You will know why he overdosed in a few short moments.

-** Ava and Johnny are dating** in my story (not sure if they were at this point in the series or not).

-** Ava's fashion line is only based in CA** for right now, but that might change in the future where she'll have to go away on long trips.

-** Erica will not be in this fanfic**. Sorry Braerica supporters, but it just works better with the story for me. She may be mentioned however.

Note that all the above points are **subject to change** as this story grows, since I am writing it and then immediately placing it in here. I also want to take this time to apologize for future late updates. I am in school right now, and am only writing this at the moment because of lack of school stuff to work on and I finally got over my writer's block (at least for the moment).

So, with all of that said ... thank you in advance for reading this, and I would really appreciate a few **reviews** before the coming week is over. I expect at least **5** before the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter One:

"Don't worry, Ms. Gregory. Bradin is expected to make a fast and full recovery. He should be back to his usual self within a week."

"That's what we're afraid of."

"Yes. … This might not come as a surprise, but I will have to put the reason for his hospital stay on the form, which will go onto his permanent record."

"But Dr. Andrews, you know that Bradin had no intention –"

"I am aware, Mr. Durant. But that is hospital rules. That is the reason for his longer stay."

"We understand."

"Can we go in to see him? Is he awake?"

"Yes, he should be awake right now. And if I know patients, he is probably listening in to this conversation as we speak. Isn't that right, Mr. Westerly?"

Bradin tried to open his mouth and say that he had heard everything they said, but upon doing so found his mouth taste like sandpaper and his tongue too heavy to move. He resorted to grunting his response, until the doctor gave him a glass of water.

"Drink plenty of fluids, young man. Sore and dry throat are the consequences of getting your stomach pumped," Dr. Andrews instructed.

After taking a sip, Bradin croaked out, "Yeah."

Dr. Andrews smiled and turned to Ava and Johnny, who had followed him inside Bradin's shared hospital room. "Visiting hours are almost over, so I will leave you alone." He winked back at Bradin, "See you very soon, Mr. Westerly," before walking out of the room.

"That was creepy," Bradin coughed when the doctor shut the door behind him. He felt an itch around his right eye, and upon scratching it winced as he scuffed his stitches. "Shit."

Ava moved forward. "Watch out, Bradin. You got a very bad cut around your right eye; ten stitches."

"Thanks, I didn't know that already," Bradin said sarcastically as he moved up in the hospital bed to rest his head against the headboard.

"Watch it, Bradin. This is not a good time to have an attitude problem," Johnny stepped closer to the boy. "You nearly killed yourself today, and you don't even seem to care about it."

"Johnny, he doesn't even know what happened," Ava tried to interfere. She could see this lecture coming a mile away; Johnny was cursing under his breath at the young man all along the way to the hospital after hearing he was going to be fine.

"I don't care, Ava. He sure knows what the hell got him here. Don't you?"

Bradin was a little startled to have Johnny's menacing face so close to his, so he used the glass of water the doctor had given him as a shield and took another sip.

"Did you even think about what your aunt would do when she found out you were taking … drugs?" Johnny could barely get the word out. "What about your sister? Or Derrick? Thank God they were out of the house when this happened, because I don't think they could lose another branch in the Westerly tree, how 'bout you?"

Bradin quickly drank the rest of the water to bring back as much of his voice as possible before slamming the glass down on the bedside table. "Don't you bring them into this," he sneered at Johnny. "They had nothing to do with this. And if you ever talk about my parents like that again, I will –"

A soft knock was heard at the closed hospital door, causing Bradin to stop mid-sentence and look at the nurse who had come into the room. "Visiting hours are over. I'm sorry, but you have to go now," she said. She opened the door fully and Bradin could see the outline of a cart full of something sitting outside the door.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Bradin," his aunt said, giving him a hug. Johnny had already walked out the door for fear of saying too much in front of the stranger, and Ava.

"Don't bring him back here," Bradin whispered. "Bring Jay, or Susannah, or anyone else."

Ava let him go and gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'll see you later," she repeated.

When Ava walked out of the room, the nurse came over to Bradin's bed and looked through his bedside chart. "It looks like you will be fine for tonight regarding that cut around your eye. Tomorrow morning, during breakfast, I'll give you another pain killer."

Bradin nodded, and then the cart from outside the room was being pushed inside. Figuring it was just another nurse, he lay back down in his bed and closed his eyes. He was mentally tired of the fight he had just had with Johnny. He knew he should apologize tomorrow, and that thought was killing him.

"Hey, Ashley. Aren't you supposed to be in Pediatrics? Where's Rachel?"

Bradin could hear some whispering that sounded like, "She said she couldn't deal with druggies. Apparently, her uncle died from an overdose." Then the speaker became more clear, "I offered to switch with her." Bradin opened his eyes and looked up to see a young girl around his age behind the cart he saw in the hall before. "I hope that's alright."

"Yeah, I'm sure that shouldn't be a problem. Well, let me at least introduce you two. Mr. Bradin Westerly," she gestured to him, "meet your candy striper, Ms. Ashley Danes-" Before she could continue, her beeper went off and she read it. "Shit. I gotta take this. Ashley, you know what to do." Ashley nodded and the nurse walked briskly out the door.

Bradin watched as Ashley walked to the foot of his bed where the nurse put his chart back and looked at it. "Should you really be looking at that," he tried to say. He could not get through the sentence without gagging and coughing, however.

Ashley smirked. "Apparently, I should be. Because, according to this, you're supposed to have water with you at all times and that glass looked empty to me." She walked up to the bedside table. "Do you want more water?" she asked sweetly.

Bradin could not help but crack a smile as he said, "Yes, I would."

Ashley took the glass and went back to her cart, retrieving a pitcher full of water. As she filled it, Bradin asked, "So, what are you supposed to be again?"

"You really should not talk right now. It's important for the fluids to clear your throat and stomach before you can start speaking on a regular basis." Ashley walked back over to Bradin and gave him the glass full of water. "Now, drink and I'll talk." Pulling up a chair next to his bed, she said, "I'm a candy striper. You know, the teenage girls that volunteer at hospitals for school or clubs or just because they want to."

Bradin finished the glass and said, "Oh right. They always have those kinky striper Halloween costumes advertised. They should let you wear those in the hospitals. Maybe that would get the old people's heart rates up."

Ashley smirked and stood up. "I'd better go. It looks like you still need to rest."

"My voice sounds fine," Bradin protested.

"It's still a little shaky. I'll refill your cup real quick."

After Ashley gave him another full cup, she said her goodbyes and was about to push her cart outside the door when Bradin said, "What if I have to go to the bathroom?"

"Get the nurse."


	2. Chapter 2: It's a long story

Hey, so I just thought of this now – **My Disclaimer:** I own nothing but my characters and the plot. The show I do not own, otherwise I would still have it running in repeats. (I know, sore topic – just had to get it out there.)

I wanted to update after **5** reviews, but found the ideas too great and decided that I am fine with **3** (it's not even 24 hours yet). Thank you to **Natalie Marie**, **rebekah5220**, and **Krissy** for the encouraging reviews (more on that in a bit). If you do not wish to name your name, of call you something else just sign your review with that name, or do not sign it at all and I will not mention you.

You see, I wrote that first chapter under two hours last night and this morning when I woke up and thought about it, I realized that I could have done much better with it. Maybe it's because I usually spend a week or more on a chapter, or something like that but I did not feel that it was good at all. But those three reviewers thought that it was, and I greatly thank them for saying that. Because, I was going to go back and re-do the first chapter with some corrections, but now I will not do that and just work on the next chapter. This one promises to be much better (at least from my perspective) and maybe longer. I wanted to put more dialogue between Bradin and Ashley before, but thought I'd save that for a later chapter. Who knows – maybe that chapter will be this one.

Enjoy! (and Review!)

* * *

Chapter Two:

"So, how long do I have to stay in here?" Bradin Westerly asked his doctor, Doctor Andrews, the following morning.

"I'm gunna recommend a week or two. It will all depend on your day-to-day progress," Dr. Andrews said as he wrote something on Bradin's chart. The doctor was inside Bradin's joint room for his usual morning check-ups. "And I'm gunna have to also recommend you to a therapist."

Bradin put down his water and squinted at the doctor. "What for? I'm fine."

Dr. Andrews stared at Bradin for a moment. "You seem to forget, son, that you were admitted here for a drug overdose. We have to get to the source of this drug dependency, and that will require you to see a therapist."

Bradin sighed. "I don't have a drug dependency. One time and everyone thinks I do."

"Yes, but that 'one time' may and will lead to others, and we need to stop that before it starts again," the doctor closed his chart and put it back in place in front of Bradin's bed. Checking his watch, he said, "45 minutes until lunch, so I will leave you now and come back later." Before he left the room, he stopped and said, "Oh, I almost forgot. Miss Ashley Danes, your candy striper, came to me this morning requesting that she spend some extra time with you throughout your stay, so don't be alarmed if she comes in more than once a day to talk."

He smiled, and Bradin just nodded his head. _"Why would she want to do that?"_ he thought, remembering how shitty he had acted to her the day before.

Within minutes, he heard a soft knock on his door and told the person to come in. Ashley's head appeared inside the room. Bradin could see she was holding two bags from _Mona's Grill_ and had a bright smile spread across her face.

"Hey patient," she said, raising the bags. "Wanna go outside for lunch? You do not want to see what's on the menu today."

Bradin thought for a moment. "Sure," he said.

"Cool. Let's get you in one of those wheelchairs."

* * *

Outside, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Bradin could smell the familiar scent of the ocean a few blocks away. The Playa Linda Hospital was across from the town park, so Ashley wheeled Bradin to one of the picnic tables. After she set up two plates of the take-out food, the two sat in silence for a few moments eating their hamburgers and fries.

"My aunt's boyfriend owns _Mona's Grill_," Bradin stated by ways of interrupting the quiet.

"Yeah?" Ashley said. "Is she _Mona_?"

"No. Her name's Ava." Ashley looked at him with a questioning face, and Bradin said, "It's a long story."

"You know, people always say something's a 'long story' when it really isn't and their just covering up something from their past," Ashley said. Bradin gave her a questioning look. "I'm a psychologist major."

"You're in college?"

"First year at Playa Linda State," Ashley said.

"Oh, I thought you were still in high school like me," Bradin said, feeling stupid of making an ass out of himself in front of a college girl.

"Nah, I'm still 18, but my parent's brought me into school earlier and my birthday's in the summer," she explained, eating a fry.

"I wonder if you would qualify," Bradin thought out loud.

"Pardon?"

"Oh, sorry. It's just that Dr. Andrews feels that I should see a psychologist after my 'incident'," he used air quotes. "That's a bunch of bullshit if you ask me."

"Why's that?"

Bradin looked at her. "Does it look like I need some stranger telling me why I felt what I felt when I took the drugs? It was a stupid thing, I admit it. But it's not like I'm gunna do it again."

"And, how do you know that? Relapse happens a lot when the patient does not get the sufficient treatment the first time. I think the doctor is just looking out for you. It is a touchy subject, after all, and I think he believes that if you get the help you won't wind up doing it again."

"Excuse me, but I don't remember asking your advice on the matter. That whole psychologist-talk is really annoying on a girl like you," he said with a bit of attitude.

"What type of girl am I?" Ashley asked after a moment, trying to stay as calm as possible.

Bradin could see that he had struck a nerve without even meaning to. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I don't like it when people tell me what to do or think when they don't even know me."

"I can see that," Ashley said. She could feel the awkwardness of the situation radiate off Bradin, so she said, "Look, we didn't really get off on the right foot. Let me throw this away, and how 'bout we sit down by the pond over there and start over?"

Bradin smiled. "I would like that."

While Ashley threw their garbage away, Bradin thought about the situation before him. His head still hurt from the fall, and he had not seen his family on good terms since the accident. Callie was away at her aunt's house back home in Nebraska and while he had told her about what happened through texting earlier that day, he had not heard back from her. And now this beautiful college girl was his personal candy striper for the next week or so and he could not speak to her without sounding like a jerk. He had made sexual remarks the day before and today he was criticizing her for her actual good advice. He was afraid of opening up to her and getting close to her because when Callie got back from her trip they were still boyfriend-girlfriend and he would have to forget all about Ashley. _"But maybe opening up to her just to get some more of her good advice would do be good_," he thought as he smiled at her when she returned. Ashley took him over to the small pond a few feet away and sat down next to him on a park bench.

Ashley turned to him. "Hi, I'm Ashley Danes. I'll be your candy striper for the next week. And I hope you'll turn to me when you need help or advice." She reached out to shake his hand.

Bradin laughed, accepted her hand, and said, "I'm Bradin Westerly. And I hope to not be that much of a bother to you for the next week."

"You won't be a bother. I'm happy to help. So, where are you from, Mr. Westerly?"

"How'd you know I'm not from here?" he asked.

"It's written on your chart."

"Are you allowed to read those things?"

"Technically … no. But, it's not really a big deal. I like to know some things about the people I'm helping," Ashley explained.

"And what does my chart tell you?" Bradin asked.

"Your chart said that you were not born in California, that this was your first time in the hospital and first time taking drugs, and all that mundane stuff line height, weight, eye color, hair color, etc. Mostly though, I like to find out things about my patients from them."

"Yeah, I wasn't born in California. I'm from Kansas. Hogarth County, to be exact. I moved here about a year ago." Bradin could tell that she was about to ask why, so he said, "There was an accident in our town during a flood and my parents died. So my brother, sister, and I were put under control of my aunt Ava."

"Wow, that sucks," Ashley said. Bradin chuckled, and Ashley asked, "What?"

"Sorry, it's just that usually after I tell someone that they launch into the 'I'm so sorry!' fest. I never get a 'that's sucks'. It was just funny to hear that."

"Well, candy stripers are not allowed to use the word's 'I'm sorry' in front of a patient. But I do know what you mean, though."

"How so?"

"It's a long story," Ashley said, staring out at the pond.

"Didn't you say that if a person says those words that-"

"I know," Ashley looked at him, "But it really is a long story."

"I've got time," Bradin said, partially because he was curious, and he knew that it was tragic and wanted to let her know that he could be there for her like she was for him.

"Well, I don't. It's almost visiting time and I know for a fact that those are your visitors over there," she pointed behind her. Bradin looked and saw his aunt, Susannah, and Jay coming up the park entrance smiling at him. "I'm gunna let you go now. But I'll come back before dinner."

Bradin wanted to stop her, but knew that she had to go see her other patients. "See ya later," he said.


	3. Chapter 3: What happened to you?

Wow, I just realized today how fast this story is coming along. I just made it last week, and already am on chapter three. For some reason, I feel more emotion towards this story than I have towards past ones. I hope it shows! haha

I want to thank my FOUR reviewers – count them – FOUR!!!! And I'm not being sarcastic, I really appreciate you all to review, and I will take any number for a chapter, as long as it is a number (0 is not a number in my book). **Natalie Marie**, **angel-prncess-18**, **justthegirl07**, and **Krissy** – you guys are awesome and I hope to hear from you again!

Most of you want to know the "deal with Ashley", and I am happy to reveal that you will hear it … eventually. haha As you know, I write these intros before I write the chapter, so I'm not sure if I will reveal it in this one, the next, or the next next. But just for condolences, I am here to tell you that you will learn about her history. It won't be like one of those hanging-plot lines.

Enjoy the new chapter! (hope to hear from ALL of you very soon!)

* * *

Chapter Three: What happened to you?

Ava, Susannah, and Jay had come and gone for the three-hour period of visiting time. They had asked Bradin if he wanted to go back inside since it was incredibly sunny outside and anyone could see him with the huge bruise on his face, but he had insisted that they stay outside and walk through the park.

Ava and Susannah talked about their ongoing struggle with their fashion line, _AvaG_. They were currently in the process of getting it noticed. But they had a lot of great clothes and ideas, so Bradin did not doubt that they would make it.

Jay talked about business at _Beyond the Blue_, the surf store he owned and managed on the pier. He mentioned that he had to hire three new people to keep up with the fast pace that he was used to going at while Bradin was working there. They all shared a short chuckle at that moment.

And when they asked how the stay was going, Bradin could not help but smile a little when talking about Ashley. He also mentioned that the doctor suggested that he get a therapist, to help him with the after-effects of the drugs. They got into a small fight there; Jay took Bradin's side in saying that Bradin did not need to see one because what happened was an accident and would not happen again, while Susannah took Ava and the doctor's side, arguing that they didn't know that and that even though they did know that Bradin was a good kid, even he has made mistakes in the past.

"Aunt Ava, I swear to God that I will never do drugs again!" Bradin exclaimed. "It was a stupid mistake and I never should have resorted to them in the first place. I was just frustrated because of my coach."

"That is what scares me, Bradin – that surf team," Ava said. "When you go back and you don't make it, what's to stop you from resorting to drugs again? I will have the utmost faith in you if you go through with this treatment the way the doctor wants you to."

Not wanting to end their stay in bad terms, however, Ava, Susannah, and Jay agreed to leave the discussion at bay and bring it up a different time. They left Bradin outside to make a phone call on his cell phone, since they did not allow mobil phones inside. Bradin had not yet heard back from Callie yet, so he wanted to call and check in.

 Note: In the following conversation, the **bold** text is Callie, and the regular is obviously Bradin.

_Ring Ring Ring_

_Ring Ring Ring_

"C'mon Callie … pick up."

_Ring Ring-_

"**Hello?"**

"Callie! Hey, it's me."

"**Oh my, God Bradin! Finally! I got your message, but I haven't been able to get a signal. Anyway, that doesn't matter. Are you okay? How are you? You're not hurt are you?"**

_laugh _"Yeah, Cal, I'm fine. I'm not hurt, don't worry. I just have a bruise along my eye-"

"**Oh my, God! Does it hurt? Are you in pain?-"**

"Cal, wait! Wait! Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just cuz I fell down some stairs."

"**You fell down stairs? Did you trip over something? It was Derek's skateboard, wasn't it? I knew that he was getting lazy before I left."**

"No, no. Derek didn't cause this. I did."

"**What did you do?"**

"I … Well, I … I took drugs to help my surfing, so I prove my worth to Coach Andrews, and I ended up overdosing. That's how I fell down the stairs and landed into the hospital."

_silence_

"Cal? Are you still there?"

_silence_

"Callie, please say something."

"**Sorry. I'm still reeling from the fact that you took drugs just because of surfing!"**

"Cal,-"

"**Don't you 'Cal' me. I can't believe you! Here I am, devastated because I just found out that my boyfriend's in the hospital and I can't get in touch with him because of the stupid no cell signal. And then I finally get in touch with him, and find out that he's fine, just recovering from falling down the stairs after overdosing on drugs! And now I'm shouting and basically telling my whole family this information because they're downstairs and the walls in this place are paper-thin! Jesus Christ, Bradin! … FUCK!!"**

_silence_

"I know you're mad, Callie."

"**Yeah, I'm a little more than mad right now. God, Bradin. I'm not gone for more than five days and you're jailbait. … What happened to you, Bradin?"**

"Callie. Please don't."

"**You're right. I need to go anyway. My mom wants to talk to me. Wonder what it's about? … I'll talk to you later."**

_click_

"Bye-"


	4. Chapter 4: What Was and What Never

Wow, I have got the most supportive fans out there! I only am three chapters into this story, and already have 12 reviews. And each of those means the world to me, you guys!

**Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!**

Seriously, I have never gotten so much love in the past with my stories, and I really appreciate it. In the past chapter, there were mixed feelings over how Callie handled the Bradin-in-the-hospital-for-overdosing situation, and I just wanted to address the ordeal for everyone at once: I wrote that putting myself in the shoes of Callie. All those words were what I would have said if I were her, and in my opinion I felt that while they were harsh and unexpected, they were what any decent and real girlfriend would say to her loved one for being so stupid. And I also received the answer to the name of Ava's clothing line (AvaG). It has been changed and taken care of, so thank you to those who let me know what it was properly named.

Thank you to **Krissy**, **justthegirl07**, **Natalie Marie**, and **angel-prncess-18** for reviewing the last chapter. You four have just been wonderful for feedback and I hope you keep doing what you do well!

On to the new chapter ... I promise you some juicy dialogue between Ashley and Bradin this time!

* * *

Chapter Four: What Was and What Never Should Be

Still recuperating from the dramatic phone call to Callie, Bradin sat quietly in his room eating dinner and barely paying attention to the Three Stooges on TV. He had expected Callie to act shocked and maybe a little mad at first, but not to the extent that she had taken it. In all the rush and confusion of his stay, he had not thought about how she would feel under the circumstances. Thinking back on it now, he wondered if telling her was even a good idea. But deep inside his mind, he knew that she would eventually find out about it and then chop into him even more for not telling her in the first place. _"It was a lose-lose scenario for me to begin with,"_ he thought miserably as he cut up his chicken. Or, at least Bradin assumed what he was eating was chicken; with hospital food, you never could be 100 sure.

Just as he was about to test the far-from-yellow corn on his plate, he heard a small knock on his door; his signal that Ashley was about to enter. Over the three-day stay he had endured so far, he had come to recognize the small knocks as Ashley's, the loud ones as the doctor's and nurse's, and the hesitant ones as his family.

"Come in. I'm decent," he said in a stoic voice.

Ashley's smiling face entered, complete with her trusty sidekick, the cart of candy stripers. But her smile faltered when she saw her small and quite patient picking sadly at his food. "You okay, Bradin?" she asked tentively.

"Fine," he mumbled, not looking up.

Ashley moved inside the room, closed the door behind her, and looked for his roommate Andrew. "Where's Andrew?"

"Out for more tests. The doctor said he might be down there the whole night."

"Oh." Ashley looked at him carefully, then pushed her cart to the far corner and pulled up a chair beside his bed. "Something's wrong. You're not your normal cheery self." Upon Bradin's look, she revised, "Okay, so you were never 'cheery'. But you sure weren't as void of emotion as you are now. Did something happen after I left you this afternoon? How were your visiting hours?"

"Fine. Aunt Ava, Susannah, and Jay came. We had fun and got a chance to talk." He still kept his head down and picked at his food.

"That's it." Ashley moved his food tray out of the way of his reach, turned off the now-annoying laugh of Moe, Curly, and Larry, turned on the overhead lights, and sat down right in front of Bradin.

"What the-"

"Don't even finish that sentence. What is going on with you, Bradin?"

"Noth-"

"And if you even utter the word 'nothing', I will personally hit you on the head with this old newspaper," Ashley said, holding up the paper draped on the edge of his bed.

"Jesus, Ashley," he said, looking up at her. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to know why you're brooding all of a sudden," she said, putting down the paper.

"It's a long-"

"Bradin."

"Fine," Bradin rolled his eyes. He sat up in bed and confessed, "After my aunt and her friends left, I stayed outside to call my girlfriend, Callie. She's been home in Nebraska during this whole thing and had no idea why I was even here. I left her a text message yesterday, but because of a bad signal on her part, she could not respond. So I called her, and told her why I'm here, and she went ballistic. … Not that I can blame her. I expected that reaction, but then when she calmed down a little she sounded so disappointed in me and sad, that I could not bare it. She even asked, 'What happened to you, Bradin?'. And to hear her say that … it just …"

"Broke your heart?" Ashley offered gently.

"I guess. Yeah," Bradin looked up and Ashley could see tiny water droplets in his eyes on the verge of falling down his face. Bradin sniffed and brushed the tears away. "So, that's why I'm not my normal 'cheery' self tonight." He looked up and saw Ashley's caring face, then blushed a little for almost crying in front of a total hot stranger. "Should I even be telling you all this? I mean, isn't there like a patient-candy striper line of authority?"

"No. This is what we're here for. In our handbook, it defines us as people who are supposed to help the patient move on or take their minds off of their problems."

"Kind of like therapists …" Bradin thought out loud.

"I guess," Ashley said with a nod. "In a way. Wow. You really don't want to see a therapist, do you?"

"I'm all for that, but I don't want to spill my guts to a total stranger who's only in it for the $500 paycheck."

"I doubt most are like that. Some, maybe," Ashley laughed. "But you're telling all this to me, and aren't I like a total complete stranger to you also?"

Bradin thought for a moment. "Not really. I mean, well, yes. But I know you won't judge me for what I may say. That's why I feel so comfortable with you."

Ashley smiled. "It's in our handbook not to judge."

"Well, regardless. Thank you for listening. What do you prescribe I do about it, doctor?"

"Well, Bradin … I too agree that Callie's reaction was natural and just. To be honest, I probably would have acted the same way. … Actually, I acted much harsher than she ever could," Ashley trailed off.

Bradin smirked, "I doubt that. Callie can get pretty pissed-. Wait, what? What do you mean by saying you 'acted'?"

Ashley looked up at him. "Huh?"

"You just said 'I acted much harsher'. What did that mean?"

"Oh. I thought you didn't hear that," Ashley stood up and walked behind her chair.

"Ashley, what's going on?" Bradin leaned up in his bed, now too curious to drop the subject. "Did you know someone in my situation before?"

Ashley walked over to the window, her face stung by the bright California sunset before her. _"I knew this was gunna come up sooner or later,"_ she thought, pressing her forehead to the cold glass. _"I think I owe it to him to let him know; I don't want him to end up like Trey."_

"Ash?" Bradin asked again. Ashley stepped away from the window, but still kept her attention towards it and the view of the hospital parking lot.

"I'm only gunna tell you this story for the benefit it may have on your rehabilitation, okay? It's a rule that we're not allowed to share intimate stories with our patients, it's only allowed the other way around. But I think if I say it was for that reason, this can be accepted."

"Okay. Tell me."

Ashley turned to face him, but stayed firmly against the window. Taking a deep breath, she started, "I had an older brother, Trey, who died from a drug overdose two years ago. He was a junior at USC, only 20, but he'd been battling quietly with drugs since he was 16. He was a surfer too, almost made the circuit until he broke his ankle pretty bad and they said he would never be able to manage it on a board again. So he stopped and got really depressed for at least six months after. That's when he started abusing his prescription pail killers for his ankle. He once told me that he could never be happy on land; that real life was riding the waves on the ocean. … Finally, my parents caught on to what he was doing and sent him to rehab for about a year. While there, he sounded like he was doing so much better. He would write and call me and sound so happy and grateful to my parents for making him join. So, after he was released and came home everything pretty much went back to normal. He got accepted to USC and made new positive friends and even scored a new girlfriend at the college. … And all the while he was taking drugs behind everyone's backs. No one knew the real Trey at this point – he was too far gone. I didn't even know until I traveled to USC for a weekend to surprise him. I burst through his dorm room and saw him with a needle to his vein. I couldn't believe it; he had us fooled for over two years, while he was taking the drugs the whole time. He never got better at rehab! The only thing that rehab taught him was how to hide his dependency from everyone. Not even his closest friends, or roommate for God's sake knew about it – not even Michelle, his own girlfriend! After finding out, we all tried to help him; take him back to rehab, or have little interventions. Nothing worked. Like I said – he was already gone. … He died a few weeks later in his room, a bunch of pills and needles scattered everywhere. I tried to help him, I really did …"

Ashley broke down, falling to the floor of the room with her hands hiding her tear-stricken face as fresh tears began to spill over. Bradin was in shock. He had no idea something that bad and depressing could happen to a girl that seemed so cheerful all the time. Except for now, anyway. Right now, she was crying desperately as the memories of Trey came rushing back to her. Bradin knew he should be over there to comfort her, so he lifted himself off the hospital bed as quickly as possible. He crawled over to where Ashley sat against the wall in a little ball and put his arms around her shaking form. Ashley looked up and put her arms around Bradin. They sat like that for a few minutes, as Bradin stroked her hair and she hung onto him as if her life depended on it.

Ashley began to calm down about 10 minutes later, and pulled away slightly. She tried to speak, but found her voice had become scratched because of the large amounts of crying.

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything. I get it. I will never do drugs again. Message received loud and clear," Bradin whispered. Ashley could not help but chuckle at his response. "You're gunna be okay."

Ashley looked up at him and smiled slightly. As wrong as it was, she was very comfortable in Bradin's strong arms. She could stay in them forever if she really wanted to.

Bradin looked down at Ashley's red and puffy but still adorable and smiling face, and could not help his first thought to be, _"I could kiss her right now, and it would be perfect."_ He surprised himself by not even thinking about Callie, his solid girlfriend for more than a year.

Just as their faces were coming closer and both Ashley and Bradin were positive on their intensions, the door opened up and they both jumped out of their hold to look up and see Doctor Andrews standing in front of them, giving them a questioning look.

"Ms. Danes, what exactly is going on in here?"

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry it took me longer to finish this chapter. I wanted to get Ashley's story perfect and had a really important project due today. But while that's done, I still have SATs and research paper due on Monday, so I'm not sure when I'll have time to update again. Trust that it will be soon though! 


	5. Chapter 5: Awkward

Sorry for the lack of update recently! School man, that's my excuse. And some lack of motivation and ideas, but I think that's all done for now. Thank you to my amazing reviewers – **Ash Riley**, **angel-prncess-18**, and **Krissy** – you guys are what keeps me going right now! And not to harp on this, but I would really appreciate more reviewers! I went on the stats for this story, and I almost have a total of 200 views with only 15 reviews. I know that most on here mention this fact a million times on here for the non-writers, but it really does make a difference if you want us to keep up with the story. Me, for example, decided to write this thing now just so I could keep my dedicated readers attention. Enough said. Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

Chapter Five: Awkward

"Ms. Danes, after you're finished up here with Mr. Mowry, can I see you in my office?" Doctor Andrews poked his head into Todd Mowry's room, a longtime child patient in the pediatric ward, where Ashley was visiting for the morning.

"Yes, sir," Ashley smiled. As soon as the doctor was gone, Ashley frowned and looked down at the blue carpet. She was on the floor with Todd and playing with his toy cars.

"Is something wrong, Ashley?" Todd's chipper six-year-old voice asked.

"I guess so, Todd," she answered.

"What is it?"

Ashley thought for a moment. _"Should I really tell a little kid my problems? … I guess it won't hurt …" _"I kind of did something … not professional yesterday, and I'm worried that Doctor Andrews will fire me."

"What did you do that was so bad? I can't imagine you doing anything bad," Todd said, walking towards her and sitting down next to her on the floor.

"It was just a lack of good judgment. I shouldn't have gotten that close to a patient." She saw Todd's face droop and added, "Hey, I could never not get close to a wonderful little boy like you."

Todd smiled and gave her a quick hug. "I hope everything works out for you!"

"Me too. I'll see you later, Todd." Ashley stood up and waved just before walking out the door.

Ashley took a deep breath before smoothing out her uniform, making sure her hair was perfectly straight, and taking a second to pray to God that she did not get in as much trouble as she was thinking she would.

"Come in, Ashley," a deep voice startled her as she was about to knock on the closed door.

She smirked and opened the door. Doctor Andrews was sitting at his desk, looking through a folder but looked up when he heard the door open.

"I could tell you were outside: I heard your famous 'deep breath'," he said then smiled. "Please, sit." He motioned to a single chair in front of his overcrowded desk of folders and loose papers. Ashley took a seat and folded her hands over her lap. "I assume you know why you're here," he began, taking off his reading glasses and looking up at her.

"Yes, sir. I know what you saw last night looked like-"

"Ashley …"

"-but it wasn't what you assumed, I swear. I would never cross that line and do something to jeopardize this hospital, this program, of you, sir."

"I know you wouldn't, Ashley. You have been a wonderful student volunteer here for two years, and it would not be right for me to deny the hospital all that you have to offer."

Ashley perked up. "So … you're not firing me?"

"Of course not. I was never going to fire you. But I really need to put you on a high warning here. We both know what could have happened if I had not walked through that door last night." He saw her about to protest, and said, "I'm not suggesting anything, Ashley. I'm just saying a fact."

Ashley looked down at her lap. "I know."

"Not to make this even more awkward, but I don't want to have to remind you that Bradin is in here for the same reason-"

"I know. But there's just something about him. Like, I know that he won't turn out like Trey did. I can't be 100 certain about that now, but I believe if I talk to him about these things then I can-"

"You know you can not get too close to patients while they're staying in this hospital, Ashley."

"I know he has to see a therapist, but he himself told me that he would never feel comfortable opening up to someone he barely knows. He already knows me."

"You are not a certified therapist, Ashley."

"Yes, I know that. But isn't there some way where he can get out of that. At least, have him not go for the full year just six months?"

"Have you been looking at Mr. Westerly's file?" Doctor Andrews asked, sounding very angry.

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" Bradin asked as soon as Ashley entered his room.

"I didn't get fired. He just left me off with a warning, a very strong warning," Ashley said. "No more looking through patient's files for me." She chuckled as she looked at Bradin's file.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them, as both Bradin and Ashley looked everywhere but at each other for a few moments. They had not yet talked about the kiss, or lack therefore the night before.

Bradin was confused; he knew that what happened was an obvious mistake on his part, because of Callie and the fact that Ashley was his candy stripper. But a part of him could not help but think that it was the right thing to do because it felt so natural. And that part of him scared him the most. _"You can not do this again, B,"_ he thought. _"Callie's a good girl and she already had to go through everything with Sara and Erica. This would just screw up everything; this time for good."_

Ashley was frustrated with herself. She knew it was wrong, so wrong, but she couldn't help but have feelings for Bradin. _"He doesn't seem like one of those guys I'm used to,"_ she thought. _"It feels like he wouldn't do something to mess up a relationship. … But what do I know? Didn't he say he has a girlfriend yesterday, anyway? I should just suck it up and move on and forget about him."_

"Anyway," she broke into the quiet, "I came into here to let you know that Doctor Andrews is allowing you early departure; you can go home tomorrow."

"Really? I thought he wanted me to stay for another week?" Bradin perked up a bit.

"That was the plan originally, but he thinks that you have learned your lesson and are ready to go." Ashley put the fakest smile on her face, which she hoped to Bradin it looked genuine.

"What about the shrink business? Do I still have to do that?" he questioned.

"Yes," she said, but before he could protest, she added, "but only for six months. It was a year before, but I persuaded him down."

"Sweet! Thanks!" Bradin contemplated getting out of the hospital bed to hug her, but then thought that would make the whole situation even more awkward.

"Well, I better let you go now. You can use the pay phone to call your family. I'm sure they'll be even more excited about this than you are."

"No, I think that'll be my girlfriend. She's coming home tomorrow from her trip," Bradin said without thinking. _"Shit. That was stupid."_

"Cool. I'd love to meet her," Ashley smiled. "She sounds really nice."

"Yeah," Bradin said cautiously. "She is." _"Why isn't she freaking out?"_ he thought.

"Okay then. I'm gunna go and I'll see ya tomorrow before you leave."

"Bye."

The second Ashley stepped out of Bradin's room and closed the door, she replaced her fake-as-hell smile for a frown and tried not to cry. "Relax, Ash," she told herself, leaning onto his door for dear life. "It's gunna be okay. After tomorrow, you will never see him again. Just get through that last hour or so with him and his girlfriend, and then move on."


	6. Chapter 6: Awkward Part Two

Oh my God, thank you to ALL my reviewers and fans this past week! The reviews have been pouring in, and I really appreciate that. Special thankx to **JmacKarla**, **Krissy**, **justthegirl07**, **angel-prncess-18**, and **Ash Riley** for reviewing Chapter Five. Count them – FIVE!! Thank you for making Chapter Five (so far!) the most reviewed chapter.

And I really mean it. Reviews and story-alert warnings really mean a lot to me. They show that you like it and care enough to stay on top of getting new chapters. And that tells me to keep writing more chapters! Like today, for example (Saturday, March 15). I had NO intention to write this afternoon, but I figured I owed it to my dedicated fans. So, once again - - THANK YOU!! And please keep up the amazing work!!

* * *

Chapter Six: Awkward Part Two

"I believe a congratulations are in order for you, Bradin," Doctor Andrews smiled. "I am happy to tell you 'good-bye' this morning, and also hope to never see you again." He extended a hand for Bradin to shake.

Bradin accepted the hand and laughed, "Yes, sir. I wish the same. But, thank you for all you've done. It's really meant a lot to me."

"All part of the job. Now, I believe there are some people who want to see you …" Doctor Andrews turned to open the door, but before he could Callie came barging in with the biggest smile on her face.

"Bradin!" She lunged for him and he smiled, taking her into his arms. He was no longer in the required dress for a patient, but in casual jeans and a t-shirt. The gash around his right eye was almost healed; there was only a small band aid there to hold the small cut closed.

Callie kissed him and stayed in his arms for as long as she could. "I've missed you so much," she whispered when she eventually pulled away.

"I've missed you too, Cal. I'm glad you're here."

"I wasn't supposed to come back until this afternoon, but I begged my aunt to let me take the red eye last night so I could be here to welcome you back too," Callie smiled.

"Welcome me back from what?"

"You get to get out of this dreary hospital today!" She turned around and noticed that the doctor was still standing there. "No offense, Doc."

The doctor laughed good-naturally, "Quite all right, miss. I would feel the same if I was in Bradin's shoes."

Callie turned back to Bradin. "You get your life back today. You can surf again, spend time on the beach again … be with me again." She leaned into him and kissed him softly. Bradin smiled softly, understanding what she meant by that. "I miss that."

"I miss that, too."

"Well, I'd better be going; other patients to take care of that are not going home today," Doctor Andrews said. "I wish you all the best, Bradin. Oh, and before I forget – Ashley said she'd be by soon before your gone, so don't forget to say good-bye to her."

Bradin only nodded, dreading the moment when he would have to introduce Callie and Ashley. Since Callie had no idea what went on a couple days ago, he knew that he had to act as if nothing had happened. _"Although, Ashley did a good job of acting that way yesterday,"_ he thought. _"Maybe it won't be so bad after all?"_

"Who's Ashley?" Callie asked.

"She's my candy-striper. She just helped me out a little at the beginning," Bradin said vaguely. He thought if he didn't act like she was a big deal, then Callie wouldn't think much of her.

"Oh cool. I'd love to meet the girl that brought you back to me," Callie smiled, leaning in again to kiss him. Bradin smiled and wrapped his arms around her as they kissed.

_"How could I have doubted being with Callie?"_ he thought. _"I've known her for far too long to just throw her away the moment another cute girl comes into the picture."_

At that moment, Bradin heard a knock on his door. Pulling away from Callie, he looked up to find Ashley standing in the doorway. _"Dammit,"_ he thought, realizing that he wasn't over her. Even thought she was wearing the most unflattering outfit you could wear, she still looked hot. And that tiny smile she had on her lips the second their eyes connected was enough to make him break away from Callie, run over to her, and plant a big kiss on her. But he bit his bottom lip to stop himself.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" she asked sweetly.

"No," Bradin said, sounding like a 10-year-old. He cleared his throat, "No. You're good. Um … Callie, this is Ashley. And Ashley, this is my girlfriend, Callie."

"Hey!" Callie said, getting out of his arms and walking over to her. "It's so nice to meet you." Instead of the usual hand-shake you would normally give someone you just met, Callie skipped right over that and gave a surprised Ashley a hug. "Thank you so much for being for him these past few days."

"Um … no problem. And it's nice to meet you too," Ashley said, coming out of the hug. "Bradin's told me so much about you."

While the two girls quickly discussed Bradin's stay, Bradin stood where he was – leaning against his bed's frame with his arms folded. Watching the two girls, he felt insanely guilty looking at Ashley more than Callie. He just couldn't help it. No matter how hard he tried to think about Callie and his time spent with her, his mind would always wander back to Ashley and their almost-kiss.

"Where's everyone else?" he asked suddenly, determined to get the subject off his stay.

"I said I wanted to be the one to bring you home, so they're all back at the house," Callie said. "I know I shouldn't say this, but I think they're planning a little something for your first day back."

"Really?" Bradin asked. "I thought they'd be all mad at me, considering the reason I was staying here in the first place."

"I thought so too, but Ava seemed happy that you were getting out on the phone. She called me last night, by the way."

"About what?"

"She just said that when I come to pick you up, to come straight to the house so that they can all welcome you back the right way. Whatever that means," she turned back to Ashley and giggled. Ashley tried to laugh back, but her's fell short against Callie's.

She had told herself in the bathroom before she entered Bradin's room to stay professional like she normally is when her other patients go home. But that only helped for about five seconds, when she walked in and saw him kissing another girl. The only thing that kept her going was the thought that after his release, she would never see him again. And while that hurt for her, she also knew that it would be best for her and for his girlfriend.

"Well, I wish I could walk you out," she said, "but I have other patients to get to. It was really nice to meet you, Callie."

"You too," Callie gushed. "And I really cannot thank you enough."

"Oh, it's no big deal. He practically healed himself," Ashley said. "Hope to never see you in here again."

"Yeah. You too," Bradin said. He knew that Callie expected them to hug (she was a really big hugger), but he knew it would be too awkward. When he looked to Callie, however, he saw the look in her eyes and knew what he had to do. "Come here," he said to Ashley.

Ashley walked towards him with a small smile on her face. The two hugged each other and each felt the urge to delay the hug a little longer than normal. When they both pulled away, Ashley looked into his eyes and said, "See ya." She gave Callie another smile before walking rapidly out the door.

* * *

Sorry if this chapter was too short and/or sucked. I thought I was in the mood to write, but I guess that thought didn't last long. Plus – I have plans in a couple hours and I have to get ready for them. So please review and I promise next chapter will be much better. I already have the plot and characters and some dialogue set for it, so I hope it goes better than this chapter did. 


	7. Chapter 7: All I Need

I want to make a public apology for the last chapter. No matter how many people reviewed and said they liked it (thank you to **Ash Riley**, **JmacKarla**, and **angel-prncess-18** for doing so), the truth is that it sucked. And I know that does not cover the public's opinion, but it is mine. 

So, tonight I am determined to write a better, longer, and more juicer chapter seven! I've got my Summerland mix playing on my ipod, fresh ideas floating around in my head, and a new sorta-love for the new Jesse McCartney song (Leavin') I just heard. This should be out by tomorrow (Monday, March 17), but may not if I get tired or run out of ideas tonight. But definitely look for it sometime this week.

Enjoy! Oh, and future apologies if the sex scene seems a little weird – I haven't written one in a while.

* * *

Chapter Seven: All I Need

"I can't believe I'm finally out of that hospital," Bradin said. "I was only there for a few days, but it definitely felt longer. I can't wait for things to get back to normal."

"Tell me about it," Callie agreed with a giggle. "I've been away from Playa Linda for so long, I think I have to re-tan." Bradin and Callie laughed as she pulled into his house's driving way. Callie turned off the engine, turned to Bradin, and said, "I'm really glad you're feeling better. That was just a phase, right?"

"Don't worry," Bradin reassured her, placing a hand to her cheek, "I will never do anything like that again. I don't ever want to put you through that again."

"Well, I don't wanna be put through that again," Callie smiled. She leaned in and gave Bradin a little kiss. "Now, let's get you inside and see what the big 'surprise' is!"

She was about to open her car door, when Bradin said, "Wait a second!" He got out of the passenger-side, ran over to her door, and opened it for her. "I always wanted to do that for you," he smiled.

Callie smiled back and got out of the car. "And who said chivalry's dead?"

"I didn't," Bradin quipped back.

The two of them walked up the porch pathway and steps before stopping at the door. "Do you think we should ring the doorbell?" Callie asked.

"Nah. It's my house anyway. I think they'll expect me to just go in." Bradin opened the non-locked door and peered inside the familiar house. Seeing no one in sight, he asked, "Anyone home?" Quiet greeted him. 

Perplexed, he opened the door all the way and walked inside, with Callie following behind. Everything was as it seemed before for Bradin; there was still the living room and kitchen as you walked down the welcoming stair case. Usually, there would be a big mess in this area, but Bradin just assumed the family wanted it to look nice for him when he came home. To the left was a door that Bradin knew led to his room, and a small hallway off to the right that led to the TV room. The patio glass doors were still intact on the edge of the living room. Bradin didn't check, but he also expected Ava and Susannah's clothing company's space to be in the upstairs hallway, along with their rooms and Derrick's. And he knew that Nikki still had her own little space in the attic. 

"_If I know all these things, and everyone expected me to come home today … where is everyone?" _he asked himself. He walked to the glass doors and looked through to the patio, but only found their backyard and Jay's living space, the shed. _"What the fuck is going on?"_

"Where is everyone?" he asked out loud, more to himself than Callie.

"I don't know … They all said they would be here to greet you when we arrived," Callie said. "And I told them it would be around 10 a.m., which it is now. Check upstairs?"

"Yeah, okay," Bradin said. He ran up the mini stair case and the master stair case to the second floor. He saw Ava and Susannah's abandoned clothing studio; even Colby wasn't at his desk. And he practically lived at the house ever since Ava had hired him a few months ago. Bradin looked inside every bedroom, and even walked up to Nikki's floor where he was yet again greeted by silence.

"Hey, Bradin!" he heard Callie yell from the kitchen. "I found a note for us!"

Bradin ran back down all the stairs and met Callie on the couch. "You might want to sit down," she said, looking worried as she read the note.

"What is it?" Bradin eagerly grabbed the note from her hands. It was pretty long, written in Nikki's handwriting. He read the note aloud:

"Bradin and Callie,

I have to hurry and write this note for you before Aunt Ava or Johnny catch me, so I apologize ahead of time for my messy handwriting. As you can obviously tell by now, no one is home. And there is a reason for that. Don't be offended, but Aunt Ava and Johnny set this whole thing up – or, rather Johnny did and Ava just went along with it. The plan was to freak you out and get you worried why no one was home when they all said they would be to kind of get back at you for scarring us all a few days ago. Sick and twisted if you ask me – that's why I'm writing you this so you won't completely freak out. We're really at Mona's Bar and then we're gunna go see a movie, so we might be a long time. I overheard Johnny say that he wants us home by five the latest. 

Oh, and to let you know in advance - - I also overheard them talking about how your totally grounded when we call come home. I'm talking no surfing, no partying, and no girls allowed at home while no one else is (sorry, Callie!). And they plan on keeping this rule until you get better grades in school and prove to them that you will never do drugs again (which in my opinion will take a while! haha sorry – had to put my 2 cents in here somewhere!). 

So, you know what's going on now. Bottom line – you fucked up (please don't tell Aunt Ava or Johnny I said that word!) and now you have to pay the consequences. I would use these last few hours of freedom to your advantage … 

Nikki"

"That … sucks," Callie said after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah, it does. What the fuck were they thinking? Playing this twisted game just to mess with me? I'm gunna kill Johnny when they all get home!"

"Bradin, relax," Callie got up from the couch and walked over to him, placing her hands on his chest and kissing him, trying to get him to not get heated at the moment. "It's not worth it, okay? I mean, at least Nikki had the decency to leave you that note."

"Yeah, but I still can't believe them," he said. He pushed Callie away a little, but she kept trying to get closer. "I mean, no surfing until I get better grades and 'prove to them that I will never do drugs again,'" he quoted from Nikki's note. "What the fuck is up with that?"

Callie pulled back. "And no more me," she pointed out.

"What?" he looked down at her for a second. "Oh, yeah. That definitely sucks too. God, this whole situation sucks!" He pulled her in closer.

"I know, sweetie," Callie soothed. "But maybe if you try really hard in school and get those grades up, and just cool off for a little while on the surfing talk and stuff like that you can prove your loyalty to them and get off this soon?"

"I guess."

"I'm sorry to say this, but you had to know something like this was coming," she said.

"I guess you're right. This all seemed way too chill now that I think about it," Bradin reluctantly agreed. "It's just gunna suck without surfing and you for a while."

"Well, we still have the whole afternoon," Callie looked up at him. "I mean, in Nikki's note she said that they'd be home by five, right?"

"Yeah …" Bradin said slowly, starting to catch on.

"We could … hang out until then," she smiled. "I haven't seen you in so long, Bradin. I've … missed you." She looked from his chest back to his eyes.

Bradin smiled. "I've missed you too." He put his arms around her waist and brought her even closer to him. "A lot. But, I think I know someone who's missed you even more."

"And who's that?" she laughed as Bradin backed her up to his door.

When her back hit the door, he reached around her to grab the door handle and pulled it open. He smiled when he looked inside and saw his same queen mattress, TV, closet, computer desk, and secret patio exit. 

"My bed," he answered as he pushed her on it and came down on top of her. Callie laughed as Bradin began kissing down her neck, collarbone, and continued as he unbuttoned her blouse. 

"Hey," Callie stopped him just as he was about to take off her skirt. "Up here first." She pulled off Bradin's t-shirt and began kissing his lips. 

Bradin smirked and put his arms around her waist. They stayed like that for a few moments. Bradin loved the feeling of Callie's kisses; he had missed them so much when she was away. He loved how she could get his mind off the saddest things just by being close to him. He loved how she dressed, how she did her hair so it smelled like roses every day, and he loved how when he woke up in the hospital, the first thing he thought about was her. _"Oh my, God,"_ he thought. _"I love her. I don't think I've ever loved a girl like Callie."_

He pulled away from her for a moment and said, "Callie, I need to tell you something."

"What is it, Bradin?"

When Bradin looked into her eyes, shock ran through him. _"Wait, Callie doesn't have green eyes!"_ He was looking at Ashley. He pulled away more and stared at Ashley, now the girl on the bottom. 

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Ashley's voice asked him as she caressed his check. 

Bradin pulled away a little and stumbled, "Um … nothing. I – I have to go." Without another word, he scrambled off the bed and put his t-shirt back on. He was about to open his secret back door, when he turned to look back at Ashley to find a very confused Callie still laying on the bed.

"Bradin?" she asked. "What?"

Bradin shook his head and walked out the door, closing it shut behind him. _"What the fuck was that about?"_ he asked himself. He knew that he should go back inside and not leave Callie stranded there with no clue as to what just happened with him, but he couldn't look at her. He ended up walking along the beach, hands in his pockets, with every intention to stay out until five o'clock. He knew that Callie would not be there when his family came back.

Bradin's mind raced as he walked and thought. One minute he had been making out with Callie – his girlfriend of almost a year and a half – and the next minute he was looking into Ashley's eyes. What could have caused that? And why was a part of him cursing him for not kissing Ashley in the first place? He had been ready to tell Callie that he loved her … Maybe that meant something – Ashley's face showing in front of him at the last minute. Maybe he really wasn't ready to confess his feelings for Callie yet, and that was just his subconscious telling him so? 

_"Whatever that was, it was definitely weird,"_ he thought.

Looking up in front of him, he found himself at the steps of the boardwalk. Deciding there was nothing better to do, he climbed them and began walking past the huge crowd that normally inhabited it. He was just looking into the crowd when his mind discovered an insanely pretty girl with long blonde hair, a tall and athletic frame, in an aqua t-shirt and matching brown skirt. She was walking a little ahead of him, but stopped to look into a shop. Looking at her profile, Bradin gasped a little recognizing those green eyes and perfect little mouth.

"Ashley," he breathed. 


	8. Chapter 8: Don't Make We Wait

Wow, sorry for the major lack-of update there! It feels like an eternity since I've written a chapter for this story! But, don't stress out anymore – for I am back with Chapter 8! But first, I want to give a MAJOR THANKX to my SIX reviewers from last chapter!! **SecondStarToTheRight15**, **kbg17223**, **justthegirl07**, **Ash Riley**, **angel-prncess-18**, and **JmacKarla** I don't know how to thank you enough for all the wonderful praise!! I think I have the greatest and loyalist reviews in the world!! haha Okay, so maybe that was pushing it ... but you know what I'm talking about!

Oh, and just to let you know – a lil birdie told me that she names her chapter titles from songs, and I think that's a pretty cool idea, so now I'm doing it! Yeah I know I shouldn't copy someone else's work, but who cares!! haha So if you ever want to know where the song title is from, just let me know in the review.

Enough from me – I want to get you guys to the new chapter! Look out for some juicy words between Bradin and Ashley!

* * *

Chapter Eight: Don't Make Me Wait

Bradin stopped and couldn't help but stare straight ahead at the tall, blonde beauty looking through a store window on the boardwalk. She had long, wavy blonde hair, intense green eyes, and a strong and athletic build. Her aqua-green t-shirt and matching brown skirt and flip-flops complemented her figure in all the right places. If Bradin didn't know any better, he could have sworn that he was drooling just at the sight of her. But a quick brush against his lips proved that he was literally not.

"Ashley …" he breathed, taking in the profile picture in front of him. _"Man, this sucks,"_ he thought. _"Why does she have to be gorgeous out of the hospital?"_

He knew that he could not just walk past her and act like he did not recognize her; the crowd on the boardwalk was too thick and he knew just by pure karma that he would bump into her. So, mustering all the courage he had, Bradin took a deep breath and walked toward her.

As luck would have it, the second that he was a mere five feet from her and was about to get her attention, she turned towards him, smiled in surprise, and said, "Hey, Bradin."

"Ashley! Hey! What … what are you doing here?" he faltered.

She lifted her left hand, showing off a couple bags, "Shopping. What about you?"

"Oh, just walking around. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things," he said.

A pause formed as Ashley nodded and they looked at each other for a moment. He could tell that she was about to excuse herself, but Bradin didn't know when he would see her next and for some reason he had the biggest urge to talk to her. "Do you wanna hang out?"

"What?"

"Um … do you want to talk?" He stopped. "I think we need to talk."

"You're not busy?"

He gestured to the huge crowd, "Not really."

Ashley played with her hair, knowing that it was the adult thing to do to talk all their issues out, but so not wanting to. _"I could tell him I have other plans, but do I really wanna become a liar too?"_ she thought. _"Maybe we should just go somewhere and talk this whole thing out, no matter how painful it is."_

"Yeah, I think we need to too," she said reluctantly.

"Do you want to get lunch?" he suggested.

"Sure," Ashley half-smiled.

They walked together to Johnny's Sandbar, a hip new restaurant by the beach. You could eat in a secluded part outdoors of the building and Bradin and Ashley decided to do just that for this kind of conversation. They ordered their food, got a beeper so when the food was ready they would know when to pick it up, and sat down in one of the tables outside, facing the now-almost-crowded beach. It was around 12:30 p.m. and the lunch-tanners were taking over the beach.

They sat in awkward silence for a good five minutes; neither of them really sure how to begin the conversation.

"I'm sorry," Bradin interrupted the silence.

"What?" Of all the things he could have said, Ashley did not see 'I'm sorry' coming.

"I completely messed this whole thing up. If it hadn't been for me trying drugs and overdosing, I would never have met you and had that almost-kiss or whatever it was. … Point is: I'm sorry, okay? I ruined it. I take the blame."

"I don't blame you," she said.

"You don't?" He sounded generally surprised.

"I don't like to blame people for my own mistakes," she told him. "I don't even call what we did a –" Ashley stopped herself.

"What?"

She looked down at the table. _"Why did I almost admit that to him?!"_ "Nothing," she said quietly.

"What did you say?" he moved closer to her over the table.

"I didn't say anything, okay?"

"I heard you start the sentence. You obviously said something," Bradin pointed out. _"Did she just say what I think she just did? … Maybe we both feel the same way?"_

"I know I started to say something, but the something I started to say was not the thing that I really wanted to say. I tend to do that a lot when I'm nervous."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm nervous too," Bradin offered.

"Of course you're nervous! This is a very nerve-wracking situation!" she said. She looked out to the water and took a deep breath. "It's just … I've never been in this type of situation before. I've never planned on being in this type of situation before."

"I have to confess that I have been," Bradin said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"How'd that time work out for you?"

"Not that good. But everything worked out in the end. I think the best thing we could do right now is tell the truth about what we're feeling, and I'm sorry that sounded so 'after-school special' out loud." They both chuckled, despite themselves. "It sounded a lot better in my head."

"Before, I said that I don't call what we almost did a mistake," Ashley said. She looked up at him to find a half-smile playing on his lips. "What?"

"I'm just glad we're on the same page. I don't call that a mistake either. I would not change a thing that has happened ever since I woke up in the hospital a few days ago." He boldly reached out and took her hand into his.

Ashley looked down at their entwined fingers. Her first instinct was how right it felt to be touching Bradin. However, her second instinct was thoughts about Callie – she assumed they were still together since that morning, after all.

"What about Callie?" she asked, looking into his eyes. "I do not want to be that girl that takes someone's boyfriend."

"Let me ask you something," Bradin said, moving closer to her. "What was your first reaction to me holding your hand?"

"Bradin-"

"Just answer the question," he said gently.

"… I liked that it felt so right," she said reluctantly.

"I felt the same thing too," he smiled. "So what about Callie?"

"Brae-"

"No, I have to tell you something. Callie and I have been dating off and on for the past year and a half. Two girls almost split us apart for good in that time span. I thought I loved Callie, but is it really love if I found those girls, and you, more intriguing, more exciting, more everything than her? Maybe the gods are telling me this by bringing me you? Cause I have got to tell you, from the moment I saw you in that horrendous uniform, I have wanted so desperately to be with you. And I know you've felt the same."

Ashley was fighting back tears as she held onto his hand. So much was running through her head. "I just need to know that you guys have broken up before I can even think about going out with you. I can't just kiss you now, without knowing that Callie is okay."

"So all I have to do is break up with her then I can be with you?" he asked.

"Yeah," she smirked. "Just not right away though. I don't want to be that other girl, okay? We'll wait a few days, maybe a couple weeks and then we'll come back and see if we still wanna be together."

"I can do that," he smiled.

The beeper went off, signaling their food was ready. Ashley and Bradin looked down at the beeper, but decided them that neither of them was hungry.

Bradin needed to go find Callie and gently let her down, which was not going to be hard since they have been walking on thin ice before she went home to Nebraska.

Ashley had way too much to think about to worry about food. She needed to go home, write in her journal, and ask herself if she was making a big mistake, even though in her heart she knew that she wasn't.


	9. Chapter 9: The Shit Has Hit The Fan

I can NOT believe it

I can NOT believe it. I seriously cannot believe it!! C'mon guys: eight reviews in two days!! That's just insane! haha But it's not like I'm complaining. As of right now – you guys reviewing and showing me some love is my motivation for writing new chapters sooner. So by all means; if I submit this chapter tonight or tomorrow (Wednesday) review away like crazy like so many of you are used to doing with this story. I sincerely appreciate it. )

Not to waste more space, or make you read more filler before the new chapter, I have decided to now individually thank my wonderful reviewers on here with a little personal message. So if you are one of those 15 people not reviewing (you know who you are, I don't) just skip ahead of this and enjoy the new chapter!

**SecondStarToTheRight15: **Now it's a party; Anna's here! haha (took you long enough! jkjk!) And I am totally with you on that back-and-forth bizz. I kinda know who Bradin is gunna end up with, but it's not like I can tell you right now! haha See if you can guess after this chapter ... I think I'll have it pretty much figured out by then too.

**Ash Riley: **You know, I think I private message you the most on here, and we pretty much discussed everything already (dialogue, our inspirations, dialogue, our favorite things to write, dialogue??), but I still wanna credit you as one of my dedicated reviewers!! Look forward to your next chapter as well!

**angel-prncess-18: **Yes, I also hope this chapter will answer some of those questions for you ... and man, are there a lot of them! haha No, it's good though: it shows me that you pay attention when you read and you're excited about this story!

Mad props to my other reviewers (you guys just didn't have any questions or stand-out comments for me to address, sorry!): **JmacKarla**, **princessoffndrkness06**, **justthegirl07**, and **kbg17223**.

And now, onto my chapter!!

* * *

Chapter Nine: The Shit Has Hit The Fan

Bradin awoke the following morning to the very loud and annoying sound of his alarm clock. His first thought was, _"I don't remember setting it last night …"_ as he cracked an eye open and immediately was blinded by the already-stunning California sun. He squinted past the rays to the digital clock on his bedside table; 8:30 a.m. Moaning, he shut off the irritating beep and put his head back on his pillow. He was determined to catch a few more minutes of sleep before someone came in to wake him up for good (the entire household, minus Bradin, were morning people).

Just as he was halfway into his dreams, Johnny came bursting through his door. "Good morning, Bradin!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. Bradin thrust himself under the covers as his response. "No use lying around here when you know that there's work to be done today!"

"What?" Bradin managed to choke out from under his pillow.

"That's right! Your first day of household chores begins today!" Johnny kept yelling. Bradin had the right mind to shout back at him to stop yelling, that he was not deaf, but he knew what his retaliation would cause Johnny to do.

Johnny did it anyway. He went over to where Bradin was lying on his bed, removed the covers from under Bradin's grasp and toppled them on the floor, then did the same with Bradin's pillow, and finally his mattress so Bradin was lying on the floor fully awake and pissed.

"What the hell, Johnny?" he yelled. He stood up and shook his hair out of his face. "What is the big deal?"

"You know what you did, Bradin!" Johnny equally yelled back. "You put this family through hell two weeks ago. Do you know how much your aunt was crying? She thought you were dead, Bradin!"

"I didn't die. I'm fine. And you and Aunt Ava know that. So what's up with the tough-love scenario?"

"How do we know that you'll never do this again?"

"Because I washed all the other pills down the toilet yesterday, for one thing," Bradin spat back. "And I know what I did was wrong, and stupid, and I learned from my mistake. Why would I even want to try drugs again?"

"Why did you try drugs in the first place, huh? Because of your surfing, right? Here's a fact, Bradin – you have no control over how your coach feels about you. That's why he put you in last string, or whatever the hell it's called in the first place. He thinks you suck, but that's not the world's decision. You can change his opinion, but not by using drugs! That's just stupid, and we all thought you knew better than that."

All Bradin had to say to that was, "Screw you."

"You will do work around this house, respect us all, and get better grades until your aunt and I think that you truly learned your lesson and are ready to get back out there. Say good-bye to Callie, and parties, Bradin, for a long time. You are grounded until further notice. Get a shower and meet me in the kitchen in 30 minutes."

With that, Johnny left the room and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Asshole," Bradin muttered under his breath as he looked around his newly-messy room.

* * *

Nine hours later, Bradin was still helping Johnny out with organizing the garage when Ava walked up to them and said, "Okay, I think Bradin's had enough for the day. It's past six o'clock and dinner's almost ready."

Johnny reluctantly let Bradin off and Bradin walked back inside to cool off. Johnny had Bradin working around the house the entire day; fixing gutters, mowing what little grass they had in the front lawn, even washing his and Ava's cars with only a bucket and a sponge. Bradin was tired of it. He barely got a half-hour break for lunch, and had to sneak out for an hour in the afternoon to meet Callie on the beach far down the neighborhood so he wouldn't risk Johnny catching him.

Bradin would not have met Callie if it had not been important, so Ava let him go because she knew that they had to talk and Bradin needed a rest. She told him that she would distract Johnny long enough so he could sneak out and come back in an hour without getting caught. Bradin didn't even want to know what her idea of "distraction" entailed; he was just glad to get out of the house and away from Dictator Johnny.

As promised to Ashley, Bradin met up with Callie to discuss their relationship. There were many tears shed (all by Callie), plenty of curse words shouted (again, all by Callie), and many a death threat/suicide attempt made (Callie). But, when it was all said and done, they had successfully broken up and Callie seemed like she would be okay. Bradin was ecstatic that it had gone so smoothly and also because in a couple weeks he knew that he could be with Ashley, and that fact was his main motivation for getting through the rest of the afternoon.

That, and the promise of a bon fire beach party that night. Ashley had texted him, saying that she was going and was pretty sure that Callie would not, so she and Bradin could hang out a little more exclusively. All Bradin had to do now was convince his aunt to let him go, and he knew that he was golden.

After a dinner filled with awkward silences, some shouting and back-talking from Bradin and Johnny, and wonderful meatloaf and mashed potatoes, Bradin excused himself from dessert and walked into his room. He was picking up some dirty laundry off the floor when he heard a soft knock come from outside his door and Ava's head poked through.

"Can I come in?" she asked sweetly. "I have cookies."

"Sure, Aunt Ava," Bradin said. He threw some clothes into his laundry basket and sat down on his now-made bed (one of Johnny's chores). Ava sat down next to him and offered the plate of cookies to him. Bradin smiled and took one.

Ava put down the plate on Bradin's desk and started, "I just want you to know, Bradin, that I was very hurt by what you did."

"Aunt Ava," Bradin was about to interrupt.

"Let me talk," she said. "I was hurt and angered by it, but not as much as Johnny. I know where he's coming from, because you did make a huge mistake, hunny, and I trust you know that already. You scared us all pretty bad. I think you need to talk to your brother and sister about it, later. But that's not why I came in here. Do not get mad, but earlier today Johnny came in here and heard some sound coming from your cell phone. So he looked at it and he read a text message I guess you got from some girl named Ashley, informing you about a party tonight-"

"What the fuck?!" Bradin yelled. "What gives Johnny the right-"

"Bradin! Language!" Ava yelled back. Her yell made you want to calm down and be quiet, so Bradin sat back down on his bed and shut up, pronto. "I know what he did was wrong, I could scarcely believe it myself when he told me about this. I am going to have a talk to him about crossing a line a little later. The point is, I know about your plans tonight. I know that you were planning on sneaking out and coming in without any of us noticing, right?"

Bradin just nodded his head in reply, knowing that those plans were shot.

"Because I know that deep down you are a good kid, and I trust you, I am allowing you to go to this party."

"Aunt Ava! Seriously?"

"Yes, I will let Johnny know this too. I am so sorry for not sticking up for you sooner, after seeing how Johnny treated you ever since he visited you in the hospital."

"Thank you, Aunt Ava," Bradin said with the biggest smile, giving his aunt a hug.

"No problem, sweetie." She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "But this is the last party you will be going to for a long time. I am not forbidding you to see your friends, because I will allow you to continue doing that, but no more parties for a long time. And I don't want to see you drinking at this one either. You drink or do something stupid again, and it's all on me. And the next time, I don't want to promise you that I won't turn out like Johnny did. You can go and have fun, but do not bring home a girl at midnight, because your curfew is 11:00 and we will show up to this party if you're a minute past that."

"I promise, Aunt Ava. I will not be late and I will not do anything stupid."

"I trust you, Bradin," Ava smiled. She stood to get up and said, "Have fun at your party. I will talk to Johnny later about your new reformed rules."

* * *

Sorry this took longer than expected to finish; school, ya know? And sorry that it's kinda pointless. It's supposed to be a filler chapter before the big "party scene" next chapter. So look out for that one, hopefully this weekend, or early next week!

Oh, and also – in case anyone was wondering and so I don't get a lot of questions about this in your reviews, the title of this chapter (The Shit Has Hit The Fan) is NOT a song title. It's just a regular title.


	10. Chapter 10: Beautiful Love

Hey all

Hey all! Here I am, back with another chapter! But first, I want to thank my reviewers:

**Ash Riley:** Read on and I'm sure you'll find out what's gunna happen at the party. haha

**angel-prncess-18: **I sent you a message, answering your question of how I came up with this whole idea, so hopefully you got it! Cuz I wrote a LOT and I don't think I could go back and try to explain it again. haha

**Krissy:** haha You're right; this IS Bradin we're talking about, so chances are he's gunna screw up. And I just love his messes, so I tend to write them in every chapter. haha

Thanks also to **JmacKarla**, **SecondStarToTheRight15**, and **princessoffndrknes06** for reviewing!! I would love if ALL my readers would review. I do not discriminate against log-in, so there really is no problem clicking on the "Submit A Review" button.

Enjoy the new chapter (at the party!)

* * *

Chapter 10: Beautiful Love

By the time Bradin walked down to the beach bon-fire party around 9:00 p.m. it was already in full-swing. Playa Linda beach parties usually attracted the same crowd; surfers, bikini-clad girls, some stoners, but mostly the popular group. And this party was no different. Bradin surveyed the scene before him, already recognizing half a dozen faces from the last major beach party before his accident. There was the pseudo dance floor in the middle of the two big bon fires that represented the borders of the party. The DJ stand and drink area was closer to the dunes, but hidden behind a wall of rock just in case police were driving by.

Bradin knew he could have walked up to a group of surfers and instantly blend in, but tonight he was looking for one familiar face to spend the entire evening with. As he walked along the outskirts of the party, he noticed a big group of people on the dance floor, all seeming to surround one girl. But the crowd was too thick and it was too dark in that corner, that Bradin couldn't see what was going on from where he stood. He was about to walk in closer to check it out, but then heard a familiar voice drift over from the drinks table.

_"Ashley."_ He turned his face and saw her talking to the bartender, laughing at something he said and leaning over to look at something on his cell phone. She was wearing a silver halter top and short jean skirt, with her hair flowing carelessly but perfectly over her shoulders. Bradin could not take his eyes off her and immediately forgot about the commotion he was going to check out before. He made a mad dash towards her, his eyes not leaving her smiling face for one second.

--

"So, you really saw them in person?" Ashley asked incredulously to the bartender.

He smiled. "Yeah, I really saw them in person. As you can probably tell from this picture, I was about … 10 feet away from them? I would have reached out and touched them, but a really big security guard blocked my way."

"Aw, that sucks."

"I'm just glad I could see them in person, you know? Anyway, enough about them. I think I was about to get your drink order before we got into that discussion. What can I get you?"

"Um …" Ashley surveyed the alcohol before her.

"She'll have a Bud Lite," a voice said from behind her. She turned around and smiled a little when she saw it was Bradin. "And I'll have one too. Two Bud Lites."

Ashley smiled at the bartender, then turned completely around so that she was facing Bradin. "Hey."

"Hey," Bradin smiled.

"I was wondering if you would show," she said a little more seriously.

"Why wouldn't I?" he questioned. "Callie's not gunna be here right, so that means-" He was about to move closer to her, when she interrupted him.

"She is here."

"What?"

Ashley gestured behind Bradin to the growing crowd on the dance floor. Bradin turned around, and suddenly a bunch of yells and howls broke through the music. A gap formed in the crowd and Bradin could see that Callie was on the dance floor, surrounded by four guys Bradin recognized from the surf team, grinding on them and seeming very intoxicated. Bradin could not look that long and turned back to Ashley, who was frowning.

"She was like that when I got here," she said. "I told you when I was in that store that I heard a few girls say she wasn't gunna show, but apparently they were wrong."

"Yeah, ya think?"

"I'm sorry, Bradin. I know that you wanted us-" She was interrupted by the bartender giving them their drinks. Bradin took a big swing from his and wiped his mouth on his hand. "But now I don't know what to do." She drank some of her drink.

Bradin looked up at her. "What, you think this changes the mood of the evening?"

"Bradin-"

"Look, just because Callie is here and we just broke up this afternoon, doesn't mean that you and I can't hang out."

"Look around you, Bradin. Everyone is looking at us. Or looking at you, to be specific." Bradin looked around them and found quite a few people averting their stares, telling him that they were in fact staring at him. "Everyone knows that you guys broke up. You were the main gossip earlier. I don't want us to get back to Callie tomorrow."

"So, we can't hang out?" he asked.

"I don't think this is the right time or place," Ashley said.

Bradin looked around for a minute. "Okay, I have an idea."

"What?"

Bradin pulled her aside from everyone, on the outskirts of the party. He looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear.

"Okay, what you're doing right now: creepy," Ashley laughed.

"Do you want anyone else to hear my awesome idea? I don't think so," Bradin responded.

"What is your 'awesome idea'?"

Bradin turned his attention back to her. "Okay, it's after nine now, right?"

Ashley checked her watch. "Almost 9:30. Why?"

"All the shops on the Promenade will be closing up in a few minutes, right?"

"Yeah …" Ashley said slowly. "So?"

"So no one will be up there, at least no one we know because they're all down here at the party. It'll be a vacant area. I say we meet up there in 10 minutes. We can be alone."

Ashley smirked. "You mean, to talk."

"Yeah … we can be alone to talk," Bradin said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Sure. I've always wanted to delve into the mind of Bradin Westerly. I'll see you up there soon," Ashley said, then turned and walked in the other direction.

--

Ten minutes and a few beers later, Bradin stumbled up the beach staircase leading to the pier and promenade. It was around 9:45 and getting darker by the second, so Bradin had to walk very slowly just in case he bumped into someone or something and fell into the ocean below. He was searching for Ashley's face, which wasn't hard since he was the only person walking around there.

"Psst! Ashley! Psst!" he whispered into the darkness.

"Bradin?" someone whispered back. "I'm over here."

"Ash? Where?"

"Right …" Ashley stopped and pulled him closer to her so he was leaning against her, pushing her into a brick wall. "Here."

"Hey," Bradin smiled lazily. "It seems like forever since I've seem you."

"Bradin, it's only been 10 minutes. Are you drunk?"

"What?" Bradin dismissed the idea. "No I am not." Then he erupted into a fit of laughter. "Okay, maybe a little. But I couldn't help it. Every time I turned around, I saw Callie grinding on those guys and I couldn't take it anymore. And the beer was really good."

Ashley chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sure it was."

"Are you drunk?" he asked, moving closer to her.

"No, just a little tipsy. Why do you ask?"

"Because I didn't think you would let me be this close to you while anyone could come up those stairs and see us," he smirked. "That's not a part of the 'plan'," he air-quoted.

"Who says I have a plan?" Ashley retorted. Bradin moved closer so they were mere inches apart. "I said that we could be together in a couple weeks, after you break up with Callie and we still wanna be together. But I never said we couldn't hang out during that time."

"I wanna kiss you so bad right now," he whispered. He reached for her hands and put them against the wall, so he was blocking her escape. "You're saying I can, as long as no one sees us?"

Ashley thought for a moment. "Like you'll even remember any of this in the morning anyways."

"I will," he protested. "I would never forget you right now. You're so hot."

Ashley giggled against his mouth. Finally neither of them could take it anymore and gave into their urge; they kissed, softly at first and then with more force. Bradin let go of her hands and moved his down to her waist. Ashley entangled her hands in his hair and around his neck. She moaned into his mouth, telling him she didn't want to stop.

So they continued, kissing in the darkness where they thought no one could see them. But around a corner of a nearby shop, someone gasped in the silence at what they saw before them.


	11. Chapter 11: Just Friends

I learned a very important lesson these past few days after posting my last chapter on here: NEVER leave a chapter with a cliffhanger

I learned a very important lesson these past few days after posting my last chapter on here: NEVER leave a chapter with a cliffhanger! haha Many of you demanded that I update as soon as I could because you couldn't stand not knowing who saw Ashley and Bradin kiss. And some of you provided your guesses on who saw them, but I have to admit that NONE of you guessed correctly! But fret not, after these thank-you's to my reviewers you will all know who saw them. And I think it will be someone that none of you suspected …

**SecondStarToTheRight15: **Wow you were EXTEREMLY hyper when you wrote this review! But you have a point, I should put up the name of the song and artist after every chapter, so I will do that starting now at the end. But last chapter's song was Beautiful Love by The Afters (really cute song).

**Krissy: **You were right; it was none of the above (Callie, Ava, or Johnny) who saw them kiss. haha I hope you're satisfied with who actually saw them )

**angel-prncess-18: **I wanna know what was so funny about the last chapter. I really can't figure it out ... So if you could tell me in your review for this chapter, that'd be awesome!

Thank you to **Ash Riley**, **princessoffndrkness06**, and **V** for reviewing also!!

Without further ado ... here is the new chapter!

* * *

Chapter 11: Just Friends

Bradin couldn't help but smile as he was working at Jay's surf shop, Beyond the Blue, the next morning. Sure, he was a little hung over, but he still remembered what went on last night. Ashley didn't think he'd remember, but he did just like he told her he would. Some of the details were a little fuzzy, like how he managed to get home without no one stopping him outside on the patio like Jay had before, but the overall memory of Ashley's lips over his were clear as day. That vision was also why he had a certain spring in his step while he took inventory around the shop now.

Even Jay noticed a considerable difference in the young man's normal brooding behavior. He had asked Bradin what was up before leaving to pick up a shipment of boards a half hour ago, but Bradin just smiled and said it was because of the good party the night before. Like he would go into detail this soon into the relationship. Besides, to the rest of the world, he was a single man for two more weeks. But between himself and Ashley, he wasn't.

She had sent him a text message a couple of hours ago, first to make sure he got home okay and wasn't too hung over, second to gloat on the fact that he was hung over, but most importantly to set up a "date" for that afternoon. Her plan? She had lived in California her whole life, but had no idea how to surf, and she knew that Bradin was a natural on the board like her brother. She had hoped Bradin could teach her so she could finally figure out what caused Trey's demise and why the sport was so important to him. Bradin had readily accepted, and suggested they surf at Two Brothers. Sure it was a happening surf spot, but the wave conditions today were mediocre so few would be out with them.

It was around noon, and Bradin was getting ready to head out to set up for his afternoon with Ashley. He just had to wait for Jay to get back with the new order, so he could take over. All of a sudden, the tiny bell hanging over the front door jingled and Lucas' head popped into the store. Lucas was a friend from Bradin's surf team.

"Hey, Bradin," he greeted, "you got a minute?"

"Yeah, Luke. I'm just waiting for Jay to come back."

Lucas entered the store and checked out some new merchandise as he walked towards Bradin.

"What's up?" Bradin asked as he shook Lucas' hand.

Lucas frowned and said, "I have to talk to you." Bradin frowned before jumping on top of the counter to sit down and Lucas leaned against a nearby counter.

"What about?"

"I heard you broke up with Callie. Anything in particular about?"

Bradin thought for a moment, trying to figure out what Lucas' angle was. "She just wasn't the right person for me."

"But you guys were going out for a while, right? Why the sudden change in attitude? I mean I thought you guys were solid."

"We were for a period of time," Bradin said. "But I don't know, after I went into the hospital I just got to thinking about my life and I didn't see Callie a part of it anymore. Did Callie say something to you?"

"No, man. I was just curious," Lucas said, then looked down at his shoes for a moment.

Bradin could sense that he was hiding something from him, so he said, "What did you come here to tell me, Lucas?"

"Okay. Look, this isn't … I don't mean to sound snoopy, but … Well …" Lucas searched for the right words of how to start what he was about to say.

Bradin was getting frustrated and a little worried that Lucas saw something last night. "Just tell me, man," he tried not to sound anxious.

"Point blank: I saw you with another girl last night," Lucas looked up to him. "And I'm not here to judge, cuz I don't know the situation. I'm just telling you what I saw."

"Where?"

"Where what?"

"Where did you see me with another girl?" Bradin asked.

"On the promenade," he answered.

"Oh man, that didn't mean anything," Bradin said, knowing exactly how to play this. "I saw Callie down at the party with all those guys, I got jealous and just picked up a random girl and made out with her. Dude, I was drunk. I didn't even know what I was doing."

"I gotcha, dude," Lucas shook Bradin's hand. "I figured that's what's up. I just wanted to make sure, you know? But it's cool man. I've done that many a time myself." Lucas smiled and Bradin subconsciously let out the breath he had been holding.

Lucas took a few steps back, but said, "I just want to tell ya to make sure that no one besides your boys sees something like that again. I'm real chill with that stuff, but if you got one of Callie's friends or another girl seeing that, she's gunna get real mad and may tell Callie. Just be careful, alright?"

"Yeah, man. That was a one-time thing," Bradin reassured him.

Lucas smiled and walked out of the shop. Bradin sighed with relief and turned his back to the door, leaning his hands on the counter.

--

In the afternoon, Bradin met Ashley at Two Brothers. He had told her he would bring a board for her from the shop, that Jay wouldn't notice if one was gone for a couple hours, so she met him at his car to help him carry the equipment. Bradin knew that he should tell Ashley that Lucas had seen them last night, even if he hadn't seen her in particular. So before they started her lesson, he asked if they could talk for a minute. He led her to the cliffs and they sat down.

"What's up?" Ashley asked. She smoothed her skirt over her tan legs and crossed them, the side effect was Bradin not being able to concentrate.

"Sorry, what?" he looked up from her arruptedly.

She smiled and repeated herself. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Right. Um … well a friend of mine came into the shop today. Do you know Lucas Paxton?"

"No," she said. "What did he say?"

"Well, he saw us last night. On the promenade, kissing."

"Did he see me?" she asked.

"No, he just saw a girl, but he couldn't remember what she looked like."

"Good. … What did he say about it?" she asked, a little worried.

"He's my buddy, so I kind of told him it was a no-big-deal thing, and he believed me. I think he'll let it slide since I told him I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing. We just gotta be careful, you know?"

"I thought we were being careful last night," she said. "But I guess we have to be more careful from now on. Is it even safe doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"This; this whole sneaking around thing. Should we even bother, because this is such a small town and if Callie knows a lot of people …" she trailed off, looking down at the sand.

Bradin reached forward and put a hand on her knee. "Hey, don't worry about it. I want us to do this. I broke up with her because I wanted to be with you. Don't feel like the girl in the middle."

"But I do feel like that, Bradin," Ashley said. "I don't want to be that girl that everyone hates because she broke up the 'power couple' or whatever you two were called."

Bradin pulled away. "What are you saying?"

Ashley thought for a moment, looking out at the couple surfers in the water. "I'm saying that maybe this whole thing; you and me, isn't going to work out after all. Maybe we should just see other people until these two weeks are over and then we can come back and decide what we wanna do."

"No, Ash. I already know what I want to do," he walked over to her and sat down beside her, entangling her fingers in his, "I want to be with you." He looked down at their hands together and said, "If you want to see other people for the next several days, that's fine. But I want you to know that I won't. I'll be waiting for you."

"Bradin-"

"Just call us 'friends' from now on, okay? Friends can hang out and surf together, can't they?" he let go of her hand and smiled at her.

"I suppose they can," she smiled as best she can.

"Then let's go surf." He stood up and offered his hand to her. She looked at it for a moment, then pushed him out of her way and got off the rocks by herself. Bradin fell backward and laughed, causing her to laugh along with him.

She grabbed her board and ran into the ocean.

"Wait, we have to start off on the sand first!" he yelled after her. She smiled at him and ran back to him.

"You can't honestly believe that I've lived here my whole life and didn't know how to surf?"

"You know how to surf?" he said, dumbstruck.

"Duh, loser! I learned when I was 13," she said. "Come on, let's go slowpoke!"

Bradin laughed as she ran out to the water and easily got on her board and started paddling, like she was a champ. _"I guess we can pull off this friendship thing after all," _he thought as he followed her.

* * *

At the end of every chapter, I will put what the song title and artist is that inspired the chapter, at the request of one of my reviewers. So this chapter it's Just Friends by Gavin Degraw.


	12. Chapter 12: Time of the Season

Sorry for the long-ish wait on this new chapter

Sorry for the long-ish wait on this new chapter.

I don't really have anything else to say, so let's get to the reviews:

**Ash Riley: **Let's see if you're the first to review this chapter ... haha

**angel-prncess-18: **Oh yeah, a good drunk Bradin always adds a little something to a chapter. Now I get what you were laughing at. haha There may be another drunk-ish Bradin in this chapter, because I too enjoy writing that. You'll just have to see ...

**justthegirl07: **Thanks for the idea! I may actually still use it in this chapter, or future ones because it would add more drama.

**SecondStarToTheRight15: **Yeah, a few of you thought the "Just Friends" song was by the Jonas Brothers. But I do not like those lil guys, so I definitely would not put a song of theirs in my story. haha Usually, my song titles would be more indie or older music. And wow! You are always SO hyper! haha

**Krissy: **I've never heard the Jonas Brother's version of "Just Friends" but for some reason, I bet that Gavin DeGraw's version would be SO much better! haha And Lucas was a big surprise to many, which I'm happy about. I just hope it was a good surprise and not a bad one ...

**RavenRoyale: **I'm SO glad my story does not bore you ) Keep checking back for more insanely interesting chapters to come!

Thank you also to **JmacKarla** and **princessoffndrkness06** for reviewing. I'm aiming for 10 reviews this chapter, okay? haha I know you can do it!

* * *

Chapter 12: Time of the Season

(**A/N: **Before I start this chapter, I want to let you know the time all of this stuff has been going on. Before this chapter, it has been summer so school was not going on. Now it will be the fall, so both Bradin and Ashley will be back at school Ashley at Playa Linda State and Bradin at Playa Linda High.)

A week passed since Bradin and Ashley decided to remain "just friends". During that time, they hardly saw each other. It's not like they tried, but Ashley was getting busy, preparing for her sophomore year of college at Playa Linda State. She had to go shopping for new school clothes, supplies, and decorations for her new dorm room. This year, she managed to get a single bedroom in her dorm building, so Ashley could decorate it however she wanted to. A far cry from last year, when Ashley had to share her room with two other girls who both were too into the black and gray colors. This time, Ashley was determined to prep her room out.

Bradin was busy too, getting ready with his brother and sister for his senior year at Playa Linda High. His aunt was majorly into the two-weeks-before-school regime of shopping with her nephews and niece, and this year was extra-special for her since it would be Bradin's last year at home. He didn't want to travel that far away from home, but far enough so as to have his own space. So he was aiming for USC or UCLA. Since it was his senior year, Bradin was determined to make it his best year ever, with little to no drama, and Ashley by his side. He had meant to hang out with her more for the last week before they could officially be together, but he was in charge of driving his little brother to his final baseball games and practices.

Ashley was in the promenade shops looking for things to add to her dorm, when she looked into a music store and saw Bradin flipping through some CDs.

She smiled and walked in. He had not looked up when the little bell above the front door had chimed, so she walked behind him and said, "Excuse me, can you help me?"

Bradin turned around and smiled when he saw her.

"Do you work here?" she asked with a grin.

"Not really, but I've come here the past week enough, so I could probably help you."

"Why are you here so much?"

"You see," he leaned against the row of CDs, "I've been incredibly bored this past week. All I've been doing is carting my little brother from baseball practice to home and unwillingly getting ready with my aunt for the new school year," he rolled his eyes.

"Don't you have any friends to hang out with?" she smirked.

"I did have this one friend," he answered, "but she's too preoccupied getting ready for college to remember that I exist." Ashley frowned at his statement. "Besides, I've tried calling her, but she hasn't picked up."

"I'm sorry," Ashley said. "Maybe I can be your friend?"

Bradin laughed. "I would love that." He let go of the act and reached out to hug her, which Ashley accepted. She put down her bags and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I'm sorry I've been so flaky on you," she said into his shirt.

"It's okay, I understand," he pulled away. "If I were going back to college tomorrow, I'd be running around like a chicken with its head chopped off too."

"Hey! I don't look like that!" she laughed. "Do I?"

"No, of course not," he answered sarcastically. "It's okay, I get it. And I would help you, but my brother kinda depends on me right now. In fact," he checked his watch, "Shit! I was supposed to pick him up like five minutes ago. I'm sorry, I wish I could stay and talk for a while, but I've really-"

"It's cool, I get it. Go!" Ashley said. Bradin smiled and walked back out the door. "Wait!" she called to him. He turned back around. "Um, I'm pretty much done here. Can I come with you?"

"Sure," he smiled. "But I have to warn you, my family's pretty eccentric."

Ashley laughed, "Whose isn't?"

--

"So, are you Bradin's friend or 'friend'?" Derrick asked Ashley when they arrived back to the house and everyone was meeting her.

Ashley smiled and looked to Bradin for the answer. He gave Derrick the evil eye and said, "I don't think that's any of your business, D."

"But you usually only introduce girls to the family if you really like them," Derrick complained. He whispered in Ashley's ear, "I think he really likes you."

Ashley smiled as best she could and said, "Bradin and I are just friends. That can go on the record right now."

Bradin noticed Derrick's smile falter after hearing that, but then Ava said, "Okay, I think we've roasted Ashley enough for one night. I'm sure they have some party to go to or something."

"Actually, there is a party tonight, but it's with the same crowd, so we were thinking we'd just chill here until Ashley has to go back to her dorm if that's okay," Bradin said, hoping his aunt would let them hang out in his room alone.

"That sounds alright," Ava said. "Well, you two have fun."

Ashley said goodbye to everyone as Bradin led her to his room aside from the living room. When Bradin closed the door behind her, Ashley let out a sigh and said, "You're family is so nice."

Bradin chuckled, "I guess." He opened his outside door to get some air in the room.

"No really, they are," she said. "Compared to my family, anyway."

"You never told me about them," he said as he sat down on his bed.

"There's nothing much to tell," she said, then added, "Why do you have two beds and two closets?" She gestured to the bed closest to her, unmade, and the closed closet across from it. "Did someone used to live in here, or something?"

"Nice use of changing the subject," Bradin smiled. "Derrick used to live in here with me, but since Johnny moved in with Aunt Ava, he moved upstairs and got his own room."

"So now you get twice the living space; nice. And I was not changing the subject."

"Do ya wanna sit down? You're kinda making me nervous standing there," he gestured to the unmade bed two feet from her.

Ashley smiled and sat down, facing Bradin. Looking into his eyes, she realized that she knew a lot about him but he knew practically nothing about her. That had not been intentional; it had just escaped her mind until now.

"My mom and dad got divorced when I was 10 and Trey was 12. I think it was harder on him, since I didn't really know what was going on. My dad stayed down in San Diego, while my mom moved up here to Playa Linda. Since in their divorce they shared joint custody of us, Trey and I would move back and forth between them halfway through the year; I would stay with Dad January through June and then come up here July through December. I suppose it could have gone better for us, but they really didn't want to work together.

"So it stayed like that until Trey's death and I decided to emancipate myself from them, even though I wasn't 18 yet. They actually signed the papers for me, and I haven't seen them since that day," Ashley finished her story. "Needless to say, it wasn't a happy childhood, but Trey was the one who made it bearable. I just wish I could see where he went wrong …" She trailed off as tears started coming to her eyes. She fought them off to say, "So that's my family."

Bradin instantly moved over to the bed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. He quieted her down, since by that point she was in full-on tear mode, and rocked her back and forth on the bed.

After a few minutes, Ashley stopped crying and tried to pull away, "Sorry about that. I haven't told anyone that in a long time. Um … I think you can let go now."

"For being a candy stripper, you're not all that good taking comfort yourself," Bradin commented as he backed away a little.

"I am, it's just … weird you know?" she moved away a little, but not by much so their arms and legs were still touching. "I don't know how much to go."

"You know, we only have a week left," he whispered.

Ashley looked up at him and swallowed as she looked at his lips for a second. "Did you find anyone else?"

"Of course not," he looked at her closer. "Did you?"

"No," she smiled. "I've been trying to fight this for so long, you know. I can't do it anymore."

"Callie already has a new boyfriend," Bradin mentioned. "Seriously, this time. He's a nice soccer player, or something. All of my friends, including some of Callie's, want me to move on."

"Then maybe you should," she said quietly as she moved toward him. He moved towards her and was about two inches from her lips when an alarm went off. Then backed away and Ashley sighed. She had set an alarm for 7:45, 15 minutes before curfew at PLS.

"I can't believe you have an eight o'clock curfew," Bradin said as she stood up. They looked at each other for a moment, deciding whether or not that moment should have happened or not.

"It's just for orientation week. I gotta go," Ashley said. "Walk me?"

"Sure," Bradin smiled. He took her hand and led her out the back door.

--

"So you can let a guy into this dorms, anytime?" Bradin asked incredulously as Ashley led him into her main dorm building.

"These are old dorms, Bradin. They're co-ed," she pointed to some guys watching TV in the rec room.

Bradin smiled and followed Ashley to her dorm door, down the first floor hallway. As they approached room 113, Bradin held onto her hand and loved the natural feeling of her skin next to his.

"Here we are," she said, stopping in front of the closed door.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah, we can meet for lunch around 12:30. I don't have class until 3:30. Call me," she said with a smirk. "So …" she looked down at their hands. "Are we going out now?"

"I think so," he smiled. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to do this." He gently pushed her against the door ad kissed her with all the passion he could muster. He heard her moan into it, so he upped it by reaching under her shirt and taking a feel of her breasts. She squealed with desire, then quickly moved away to look if anyone overheard them.

"Bradin!" she said in shock, but he could tell that she liked it.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he smirked, then turned around and walked away, leaving Ashley standing speechless, wishing for more.

* * *

Song of the chapter: Time of the Season by Ben Taylor (on the Prom Night soundtrack, if any of you have that)


	13. Chapter 13: That thing you got behind

Wow, sorry for the long wait in this chapter

Wow, sorry for the long wait in this chapter. Finding time during the week (and weekend) sucks. Thank you to my wonderful reviewers:

**Ash Riley: **Yay for being my first reviewer for last chapter, again!!

**justthegirl07: **Hmm ... You actually gave me some good ideas in the trust issue you mentioned. Maybe I'll have to take you up on that offer? Thank you!

**RavenRoyale: **I want to take that as a compliment, but it sounded kind of stalker-ish. haha Regardless, thank you for being such a dedicated reader. It really means a lot to me, because most times my readers are what keep me going.

**angel-prncess-18: **Nah, I think "awesome", "super", "great", and "amazing" pretty much sum up this story. haha You can stick with those adjectives.

**Krissy: **Again, with the trust issue. I didn't think of it before, but now I'm reconsidering ... Look for it possibly in future chapters! And thank you for the idea!

Thank you also **JmacKarla** for reviewing. You awesome reviewers seriously make my day, showing up in my email account. Please keep doing what you do best; reviewing my story!! haha Enjoy this new chapter.

* * *

Chapter 13: "That thing you got behind you is amazing."

The following morning, Bradin awoke with a smile on his face. In fact, he didn't think he had stopped smiling since he kissed Ashley the night before. He couldn't believe that he finally had her. When he had come home, his aunt had asked him why he was acting so happy, but Bradin just shrugged with that goofy smile on his lips. He didn't want to jinx it by telling his family that they were together. At least, not yet. _"When the perfect time comes, everyone will know,"_ he thought as he climbed out of bed, ready to start the day.

--

12:30 p.m. and Bradin was already sitting at Mona's Sandbar awaiting Ashley. He didn't have to wait long, as five minutes later he saw her walking up the street with a little smirk playing on her lips. Bradin had been seated in one of the outdoor tables, set up against the sidewalk with just a bar between. Ashley caught his eye and her smile deepened, as she smoothed out her mini skirt. Bradin's eyes stalled on her outfit for just a moment. She was wearing a jean skirt and a form-fitting orange tank top. He knew that it was close to 85 degrees outside, but he couldn't help but think that her outfit was directed to him more than the heat.

Ashley approached his table in the middle of the outside deck and looked down at him. "Hey, boyfriend. Hot day isn't it?"

"It sure is," Bradin said, his eyes slowly making their way to her own. "But I think it's a little cooler in the shade."

"I'll be there in a sec." Ashley went to go around to the restaurant's front door, but Bradin stopped her by suggesting that she just slip under the bar. "I never done that in a mini skirt," she laughed.

"There's always a first time for everything," he said. Ashley smiled and tried her best to slide under the bar, without hitting her head or touching the ground in the process. Bradin enjoyed those five seconds of Ashley's skirt rising up and bit his lip.

"You seem awfully horny today," Ashley observed as she sat down in the seat right across from him.

"What can I say? I think it's the heat," Bradin said. "I always get like this when it's hot out."

"You learn something new everyday," she said. "As long as I'm the only one you're looking at, I suppose I could tolerate this 'guy' behavior a little bit longer."

"What are you doing tonight?" he smiled, leaned into the table.

"Actually, I'll be studying," she said, starting to look at her menu. "I've got this major Algebra test tomorrow that I just found out about this morning."

"Who assigns tests the first day of school?"

Ashley smirked. "That's college life for ya; they don't care what day it is, what other plans you have, or even if it's a national holiday and you'll be in another state the day before. They will assign tests and quizzes and major homework assignments, regardless. Plus, my teacher does not like me from last year, so I've promised her and myself that I will do better this year. That counts for acing surprise tests. I just hope I can memorize this stuff fast enough."

"Then I'll help you," he said, leaning back and looking at his menu.

"What?"

They were interrupted by the waiter coming over to their table and asking for their orders. Ashley ordered a sandwich and Diet Coke, while Bradin ordered a hamburger with Sprite. When the man walked away with their menus, Ashley asked Bradin what he meant again.

"You said that you'll have trouble memorizing all this Algebra stuff on your own, so I'll come over and study with you," he explained.

Ashley chucked, "No offence, Brae, but I don't think you there will make me wanna memorize more. In fact, I know that you'll definitely distract me."

"I could distract you in 'boyfriend' mode, like I am now. But I do have other modes too."

"Like what?"

"Well, there's 'friend' mode which I was trying to be before, but I haven't perfected that one yet. I also have 'study' mode, which believe me or not, I use quite often during the school year." Ashley still looked doubtful, so Bradin said, "Hey, I can sense how important this A is to you, so I promise that I will be all professional during study time. I give you my word."

Ashley smirked, sensing the sincerity in his voice. "And what about after study time?"

"Well, after we're don't studying, and you know the information verbatim," he took her hand, "then I'll have to turn back to 'boyfriend' mode. That's the only other mode I have around you."

Ashley smiled, about to agree to his proposition, but saw someone out of the corner of her eye, which caused her to move back and say, "Bradin."

"What?" Bradin held onto her hand when she was trying to pull it away.

"Bradin, let go," she whispered, some fear evident in her voice, still looking at this person. _"Too late."_

"Bradin! Ashley! Funny I run into you here," Callie said sweetly, holding onto another boy.

Bradin quickly let go of Ashley's hand after hearing the sound of his ex-girlfriend. He looked at her smiling and innocent face, then back at Ashley, who looked like she had just seen a ghost.

"Um … we're just talking," he tried to say.

Callie looked from one teen to the next, seeming confused at their uncomfortable manner. "Didn't Lucas tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Bradin asked.

Callie smiled again, "I know about you guys, how you broke up with me then immediately got with her. But it's okay, I'm okay with it."

"You are?" Bradin asked, uncertainly.

"Yes! Bradin, I realized after we broke up that we just weren't meant to be. All along, I knew we had out issues, and I truly believed that it wouldn't last. I guess I just liked the idea of having such a good boyfriend like you were, that I was afraid to break it off. I've always had this fear of being alone. But then I met Jason at a soccer game," she looked at him and smiled, "and it was okay. I am really happy for you guys."

"Thanks," Ashley said timidly.

"Well, we have to be off. Jason has a major game in a half hour and he still has to stretch," Callie said. "But it was so nice seeing you two out. I'll see you later." She waved and continued walking down the sidewalk.

After a few minutes of silence, Bradin reached for Ashley's hand again and said, "So, what time should I be over?"

* * *

I would totally have added the "studying" part, but I figured that was too much sex talk for one chapter. Plus: I wanted to leave you hanging!! haha So you'll just have to review to get me to type up this hot new chapter faster.

Oh, and the chapter title – so no one gets confused – is not actually a song title, but part of a song lyric. I'm actually liking Jesse McCartney's new single a lot (I listened to it on repeat while writing this chapter) so the second lyric in "Leavin'" is the title. I thought it fit the mood of the chapter pretty well. Tell me what you think of his new single, if you've heard it that is.


	14. Chapter 14: Blow Your Mind

Thanks to a water pipe burst at my high school, I had nothing to do today so I decided to write another chapter

Thanks to a water pipe burst at my high school, I had nothing to do today so I decided to write another chapter. Aren't you guys lucky? Two chapters of my story back to back!! haha Okay, maybe I'm more excited than most. But this chapter promises to be my best yet. Well, in my opinion anyway. I want to thank the five reviewers for my past chapter:

**Ash Riley: **Oh wow. That sucks. I didn't know that some students actually have tests the first day of college. But, I'm kinda glad too because my story isn't that far off. haha

**kbg17223: **Yeah, a lot of people don't believe Callie's sincerity when she ran into Bradin and Ashley. And truthfully, I meant for it to sound sincere. But you got me thinking: maybe I could have Callie show up again unexpected and actually say what she feels. Thanks for the idea!

**princessoffndrkness06: **I sure hope nearly 24 hours isn't that long of a wait! haha

Thanks also to **JMACFAN21 **and **angel-prncess-18** who both shared their love for Jesse's new single (I'm glad I'm not the only one out there who loves it!).

Enjoy the new chapter! And just a little side note – I'm not sure when I'll have time to update again (got my SATs and Prom this weekend, so it might be a little hectic) so make sure you review so I'll have more reason to update ASAP!!

* * *

Chapter 14: Blow Your Mind

"Aunt Ava, is it okay if I stay over at Lucas' tonight?" Bradin asked his aunt while she was preparing dinner in the kitchen.

"What are you guys gunna do?" Ava eyed her nephew as she prepared salad.

"Nothing, just chill I guess," he shrugged. "There's no party planned for tonight anyway." Bradin could see where his aunt was going. "He just asked, because school's almost here and we won't be able to hang out for a while. You know; studying and stuff."

Ava chuckled, "I'm sure. It's fine, Bradin. Just don't go to bed too late, okay? Derrick has his final baseball game tomorrow morning at 10. Make sure you're there."

"No problem, I will be," Bradin smiled.

He was about to walk into his room, when Johnny stopped him by asking, "Where are you going tonight, Bradin?"

Bradin had not spoken more than five words to Johnny since Ava got him out of working for Johnny every day a week ago. Bradin bit his lip and turned around to face Johnny, who was coming down the stairs. It took every ounce of Bradin's energy to not sound rude when he said, "I'm going to Lucas' for the night."

"Okay. Just make sure you make it to Derrick's-"

"I already told him about the game, Johnny," Ava said, not moving her gaze from the salad. "Oh, and Bradin?" she looked up. "Are you okay for dinner then?"

"Yeah, we'll probably just order pizza or something," Bradin looked at his aunt. Then he turned his attention back to Johnny. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

He was about to again walk into his room, but Johnny stopped him. "Wait. Um … can we talk for a few minutes?"

"About what?" Bradin tried his hardest, but his attitude was evident in those words.

"Let's go into your room," Johnny looked at Ava and Bradin saw the tiny wink she gave him.

"_She put him up to this,"_ Bradin realized. "Okay."

They walked into Bradin's room and Bradin sat on his bed, while Johnny stood by the bed's post. The two shared an awkward silence for a few moments, until Johnny said, "I'm not just in here because Ava told me I have to be. I know the way I acted before was not right. I'm not your father, and I'm not trying to be." He moved to sit on the opposite bed. "But you have to understand where I was coming from, Bradin. What you put us all through, especially your brother and sister and aunt, was not cool. And I know it was an accident and you'll never do it again, but you have to realize that it is basically my job of protecting this family. Jay's not around here much anymore, with his shop doing so well and everything, and there's not really another male leader of this bunch. So I put the responsibilities on myself, which may or may not be a good thing. But that's not the point.

"I just want you to feel comfortable coming to me with whatever problems or issues you may have. I know you're 18 and legally an adult and coming to me may not be 'cool' or whatever, but just to humor me … please promise that you will come to me whenever something get's really bad, okay?" Johnny looked up at Bradin with true sorrow in his eyes, and Bradin could no longer be mad at him for acting like his father.

"Yeah," he said.

"Yeah?" Johnny had hope in his voice.

"I'll come to you."

Johnny smiled. "Thank you, Bradin. Or, you can go to Jay too. Whichever works best for you."

"Johnny?"

"What?" he saw the annoyed look on Bradin's face. "Oh, sorry. Is this starting to sound too after-school special?" Bradin nodded. "Well, I guess that's my cue to go." Before he closed the door, he said, "Have fun with your friend tonight. And please don't do anything you're not ready for."

Bradin smiled and promised and Johnny closed the door.

--

A half hour later, Bradin was walking into Ashley's dorm building. He had called Lucas beforehand, letting him know the situation, and Lucas had his back. He promised to call in case of an emergency, though, so Bradin was forced to keep his cell phone on. Armed with a bag full of "supplies", he rounded the corner, getting ready to knock on Ashley's door but stopped when he saw it was already open.

Bradin looked inside to find Ashley pacing back and forth, holding a textbook, in her room. For a college dorm room, it seemed pretty big. From what Bradin could see, there were two single beds against the far corners of the room, one made neatly and the other full of books, flashcards, highlighters, and pencils. _"I'm guessing that one is hers,"_ he thought. There was a closet against the left wall, and Bradin assumed there was another against the right wall. In between the two beds was a mini-fridge and microwave, and two bed stands. On the floor, instead of the usual hard-wood was a plush pink and blue rug.

Bradin smiled as he continued to stare at Ashley, but she didn't seem to notice him leaning in her doorway. His eyes couldn't help but glaze over her clothing, and he thought she looked way too hot for a study session. She was wearing short gray shorts and tight pink tank top, and not much else. Even though her hair looked a little messy, it was down and full so Bradin thought it complimented her whole sexy school girl look.

Finally he couldn't take it any longer and had to make his presence be known. He knocked softly on her door, and she immediately spun around and gasped, her hand immediately grabbing her chest as she breathed deeply and laughed.

"Oh my, God, Bradin! You scared the shit out of me!"

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I thought you saw me standing here for the past five minutes."

"Why didn't you knock earlier?"

"I got distracted," he smiled. Ashley grinned and pulled down her shorts a little bit. Bradin walked into the room and immediately felt 10 degrees hotter. "Is it just me or is it like 100 degrees in this room?"

Ashley sighed, "It's not just you. My roommate, the genius she is, kept the windows, door, and air fan off the whole day. She said she didn't want to waste energy for something so mundane as cooler air."

"She's obviously off her rocker," Bradin commented as he took off his hoodie.

Ashley's eyes traveled quickly to the site of Bradin's bare chest as his shirt got tangled in his hoodie, but then averted to his eyes when he looked at her. "That's what I said, about 15 minutes before you came. She got mad and left, something about staying the night in her friend's dorm. So I've been forced to leave my door open, as well as all the windows." Ashley gestured around her with her hand holding the book. Bradin looked around and saw that her dorm even had a little bathroom off to the right.

"Man, you really scored on the dorm," he smiled, walking over to check out her bathroom which consisted of everything but the shower.

"Yeah, I guess I did. I just burned on the roommate situation." Ashley and Bradin stood silently for a moment, but then Ashley broke the awkward tension by saying, "What's in the bag?"

"Oh," Bradin walked over to the paper bag he had put on her roommate's bed. "Well, I brought along all the necessities for a cram session as is tonight." One by one, be pulled out the supplies and placed them on the bed. "A calculator, extra pencils, erasers, notebook paper, a spare hoodie for me in case it gets cold."

Ashley smiled and took the hoodie from him. "Kansas State University?"

"Yeah. It was my dad's. I was supposed to go there, but then all that shit happened and … I just like to keep a little something of my parents around me all the time," Bradin sat on the bed and looked down at his folded hands.

Ashley sympathized with him. Losing her brother had been hell, but she couldn't imagine losing both her parents. _"Well, at least the memories I chose to remember."_ She decided to change the mood, so she put the hoodie to herself and measured how much bigger it was on her in her mirror. "Wow, this thing's huge," she said.

Bradin looked up and smiled at her reflection. "Yeah, but I bet you look really cute in it."

Ashley smiled, "I bet you look even better in it." She went over to jokingly pull it over his head, but noticed that something fell out of the pocket and landed on the rug. She bent over and saw a condom. Picking it up, she looked at Bradin and asked, "What's this?"

Bradin went into panic mode (apparently he did have more than two modes on Ashley) and stood up. "I'm sorry," he immediately said. "I'm an idiot. I go too fast when it comes to these things."

"Bradin, relax," Ashley said with a hint of a smile.

But he didn't notice the kidding in her voice and went on, "No, no. I really am sorry. I knew that you just wanted to focus on your studies tonight, but I still brought that because I don't know, maybe-"

"Oh my, God, Bradin! Relax!" She grabbed him by both shoulder to get him to be quiet.

"What?" he said, confused.

"I think it's really sweet that you would never do anything when you think I'm not ready. Most guys your age wouldn't even consider my feelings. But, why do you think I invited you over here anyway? And wore this?" she gestured to her clothing. "The only thing I'm worried about is that one won't be enough." Bradin stood still in amazement as Ashley walked over to her roommate's bed side table and produced a whole box of condoms out of the top drawer. "That's better."

"But … I thought you had to study-"

"I did study. Up until the moment you knocked ever so subtly on my door. I think I know my proportions and long division backwards and forwards." She moved closer to him and said, "I hope you don't think I'm a slut or something for doing this."

Bradin immediately shook his head, "No, no. I would never-"

"Good. You know, I didn't plan for this to happen originally. But all week I've had these urges whenever I saw you to just … I don't know, jump your bones or something," she laughed. "And I can't fight them anymore. Sometimes you just have to give in, you know?" She backed Bradin up against the wall.

"Oh yeah," he said. Then he cleared his throat and said, "Now there're just two things left to do." He pulled away from her to close her door and push all her books, papers, and pencils off her bed.

(**A/N: **This section of the chapter may be too mature for younger readers. So I would advise you not to read ahead if you're sitting by a parent or older person - I'm thinking of you here!)

Ashley laughed as she walked to him. "You know, I'm too wet right now, I don't even care that you just messed up all my work."

"You didn't want us sleeping on your roommate's bed, did you?" he asked as they began to decent to her bed.

Ashley groaned into her kiss and shook her head when they separated and she sat on his chest. She lifted his shirt and started kissing his chest underneath, starting as far north as she could go, then working her way south. Bradin couldn't help but groan a little in pleasure. _"Callie sure as hell never did this,"_ he thought with a lazy smile on his face. When Ashley got tired of that, she helped him lift his shirt off before kissing him again.

He turned over so he was on top and kissed her neck all the way down to in between her breasts. Ashley sighed and bit her lip as he removed her tank top and smiled at the sight of her pale pink bra. He started kissing down to her stomach and then looked back up at her for a second of hesitation. But the look in her eyes told him to keep going, so he kissed below her pelvic bone, sending shivers up her spine. Bradin removed her shorts and then Ashley started playing with his belt while they made out, so he let her remove that too.

Soon they were left in nothing and exploring each other's bodies in ways that they both never explored before. Hands and legs were everywhere on that single bed, and soon they were beneath the covers. It didn't take Bradin too long to get hard, since he had been fighting that notion the past few times he's seen her. She slipped on the condom and before long Ashley started breathing heavier and grabbed onto the covers as he went inside her.

The two of them breathed together and moaned, groaned together as the hours swept by and they stayed wide awake, enjoying every moment and touch.

* * *

Sorry if it is too long, I just had to put that end part in there. Song of the title is obviously "Blow Your Mind" by Jesse McCartney. Doesn't take a genius to realize why I put that song in here ...


	15. Chapter 15: Don't Stop Believin'

So sorry for the long wait here, guys

So sorry for the long wait here, guys! Prom and SATs got in the way ... But now they're over! Hooray! haha I'm kind of glad I put that warning in the last chapter – sounds like a lot of you weren't able to read that part, anyway. I have a question: should I change my rating from T to M? Because I can pretty much guarantee that there will be other chapters like this past one in the future. Just let me know, and I can change it!

Thank you to my reviewers:

**Ash Riley: **I sincerely want to thank you for all the encouragement and positive energy you've given me throughout this whole story, and hopefully will continue to give. I hope to see your review very soon! haha

**Krissy: **I have a feeling he'll make it to Derrick's game in the morning ... But that's just me! haha

**SecondStarToTheRight15: **Great to hear from you! And thank you for continuing to read this story, it means a LOT to me ) If you don't like the sex scenes, then I guess that above question is more for you: Do you think I should change my story to "mature"?

And again thank you **JmacKarla** and **angel-prncess-18** for your reviews! I hope to get a LOT of reviews for this chapter! (But if I don't, I think I'll survive ...)

* * *

Chapter 15: Don't Stop Believin'

The following morning, Bradin awoke to the sound of a door slamming shut. He sat up with a jerk and his eyes immediately opened. Instantly, he was blinded by the powerful California sunlight penetrating through the open windows and moaned as he went to cover them.

"Morning, sunshine," a preppy voice cheered a few feet away. Bradin opened his eyes and saw Ashley standing at her desk, putting down a binder. "Sorry I woke you like that, I forgot the windows were still open from last night."

Bradin cleared his throat and smiled at her, "Last night …

Ashley smiled and faced him, leaning against her chair. "… was amazing. You were amazing." She walked over to the bed and sat down next to him. She kissed him gently and whispered in his ear, "You were like the little Energizer Bunny. We kept going and going and-"

He pulled her down on top of him and kept kissing her. Finally, he pulled away and asked, "What are you doing tonight?"

"Hopefully you," she smirked. "Isn't today your last day of summer?"

"Yeah. Gotta go back to school tomorrow."

"I just came from my only class. My English teacher's sick and had to cancel today."

"Bummer," Bradin smirked.

"Do you have any plans? Because I have nothing to do today," she looked up at him.

"What time is it?" Bradin asked, a little panic rising in his voice.

Ashley checked her bedside table and said, "Quarter to 10."

"Shit!" Bradin immediately got out of bed, tossing Ashley to the other side, as he wandered around, looking for his clothes.

"What's the matter?"

"My brother has his last baseball game today, at 10, and I promised my aunt and Johnny that I would be there. I also said I was staying over at a friend's house so I would have no trouble making the game. Where are my clothes?!"

Ashley laughed a little and Bradin looked back at her. She was holding his boxers in her hand and cracking up. "I think you might want to put these on first."

Bradin looked down and immediately covered himself with one hand while reaching for his boxers with another.

"And I think I saw you clothes lying by the door, over there," she pointed to a mound of their clothing from last night. "Oh!" she stood up and walked over to him. "Can I wear this?" she held up the Kansas State University hoodie.

Bradin smiled as he pulled on his pants. "Yeah, you can show it off at the game."

Ashley smiled and took off her fleece jacket, revealing a very small tank-top under it, and pulled on the hoodie. It came almost to her thighs and she laughed, looking at herself in her full-view mirror attached to her closet door. "It almost looks like I'm naked under this."

Bradin paused at the statement from pulling on his shirt to find her smiling at him, looking like she just wore a mini-skirt, his dad's hoodie, and not much else. "It looks perfect on you," he smiled. "Just like I knew it would."

--

Bradin and Ashley arrived at Playa Linda Park a little past 10:15, holding hands and looking every bit the happy couple as they searched for his family's spot on the bleachers. Finally, Bradin spotted his aunt cheering loudly for his brother's team to score and walked with Ashley up to their spot.

"Hey, Aunt Ava. Sorry I'm late," he immediately said as Ashley and him sat down next to her on the end of the family line.

"Oh, Bradin! I didn't even see you there!" his aunt looked at them with shock. "That's okay, sweetie. I'm just glad you came."

"Yeah, Lucas says 'hi' and you remember Ashley, right?"

"Oh, of course! How are you, dear?" Ava asked, momentarily shutting out the game and focusing in on the matter at hand.

"I'm fine, thank you," Ashley smiled sweetly.

"On my way here, I ran into her and invited her along since she doesn't have any more classes today. I hope that's okay."

"Sure! The more the merrier!" Ava laughed.

At that moment, Johnny noticed Bradin and Ashley present and greeted them across Ava. He also noticed the hoodie that Ashley was wearing and asked, "Where did you get that sweatshirt, Ashley?"

"I borrowed it from Bradin. He had it in his car and I was cold so he said I could wear it," she explained. Bradin smiled inwardly at how quick and believable she came across and squeezed her hand.

Before Johnny could say anything else, he was notified from Susannah that it was Derrick's time at bat. Jay, Johnny, and Bradin walked down to the dugout to give Derrick words of encouragement like they had been doing throughout his whole baseball experience. Bradin explained to Ashley that Derrick had come to love their inspiring words, so every game they would cheer for him.

As the boys were down cheering for Derrick, Ashley scooted a little closer to Ava and the two of them talked.

"So, I see that you and Bradin have grown closer," she smiled.

"Yeah. I guess it was always there, we just didn't know it until a week ago."

"Love's funny that way," Ava chuckled. "For instance, Johnny and I. We were friends for … God knows how many years and we both sort of knew that it could go farther that whole time. We just dodged around the issue for a long time, and it wasn't up till as year or two ago that it finally happened and we became a couple. **A/N: **For this story, Ava and Johnny were never a couple that broke up and got back together like in the show. They were just always friends with that sexual tension looming over them all those years.

"So now that you two are a couple, I want you to feel comfortable coming to me with any problem you two may be facing. I know I'm old and not cool, but I do have a lot of experiences behind me and may be able to help you."

Ashley laughed and said, "I don't think you're old, Ms. Gregory."

"And that – please call my Ava. Ms. Gregory sounds way too formal for a girl like you."

"Okay, Ava. Thank you," Ashley said seriously.

"No problem, Ashley," Ava gave her a little pat on her knee as Bradin came back up to the bleachers.

"What did I miss?" he asked as he sat down next to Ashley.

Ava and Ashley looked at each other and Bradin and said, "Nothing!"

"Well, it must've been really important, because you missed Derrick's home run," Bradin laughed as he joined the crowd and stood up to cheer for Derrick's team.

"Oh my, God!" Ava and Ashley jumped up to the join the crowd as Derrick ran over home plate with a big smile on his face.

Jay turned around for where he and Johnny were standing down in the dug out and noticed how close Bradin and Ashley had grown. They were making out, right next to Ava and the whole family line, at a kids' baseball game. He could sense something had happened between them to make them act so close and passionate, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions without first asking Bradin. So he knew that right after the game, when they were all going for a picnic on the beach to celebrate the last day of summer, he would have to talk to him alone.

_"Our little Bradin is growing up so fast,"_ he thought with a smirk as he turned around and continued to congratulate the team.

* * *

The song with this chapter is "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. I listened to it while writing the final scene with Derrick running to the home plate.

Look for the next chapter coming REAL soon, as I have most of it thought up already and want to write it ASAP for y'all.


	16. Chapter 16: Into Ya

Okay, so "ASAP" turned into "2 weeks later" but at least I'm updating again, right

Okay, so "ASAP" turned into "2 weeks later" but at least I'm updating again, right? I am so sorry for not updating as frequently as I would have liked to. And like I mentioned before, I kind of already know where this chapter's going so it's not like I had to start from scratch. I blame the school, homework, movies, and TV season finales. haha Thank you to my awesome reviewers:

**Ash Riley: **Girl, I love you. haha That's my retort to your review. Keep 'em coming!

**angel-prncess-18: **Thank you! But I have to credit the TV show I kind of stole that line from – Hidden Palms (RIP). It was short-lived but cute. But thank you anyways, and I love that song as well.

**SecondStarToTheRight15: **Okay, I updated ... two weeks later. haha I actually got his new CD and I kind of dig it. haha Which kind of surprised me, but I'm liking his new "adult" content. ;)

**justthegirl07: **Your recent comment gave me the kick in the pants to write today, so I think all of my reviewers can thank her for that. haha I hope this chapter is great after the long wait! I made it extra-long for you!!

Thank you also to **JmacKarla** for your review. Enough from me – here's the chapter that took WAY too long to update!

* * *

Chapter 16: Into Ya

It was ten to 7 o'clock, the time when Ashley said she would meet Bradin at his house. Ava had invited her over for the family's last dinner in the summer, a picnic on the beach during sunset, a tradition they had started the year before. Ava and the rest of the family were outside, setting up, but Bradin was in his room finalizing his hair. He had spent the whole day with Ashley and had not been worried at all, but for some reason he was incredibly nervous right now.

Even though it was not a formal affair, he was dressed in his nicest pair of Bermuda shorts and a new t-shirt. He wanted to look good for her. Now, if only he could fix the stupid cow-lick in his hair. He was putting on excess hairspray he borrowed from Nikki when a soft knock came on his door and Jay stepped inside.

"Hey Brae," he greeted, "Ashley's here."

"Cool. I just fixed my cow-lick," Bradin smiled in relief. He was about to walk past Jay and out the door when Jay stopped him.

"Can I talk to you for a sec? Ashley's hanging out with Nikki, anyway."

"Great. I hope Nikki doesn't say anything embarrassing to her," Bradin worried as he Jay closed the door. "What's up, Jay?"

"So, you and Ashley are getting pretty close, huh?" he sat down on Bradin's bed.

"Yeah, I guess so," Bradin answered confused. _"What is he trying to get at?"_

"Look, we all know that you and Sara … so you're obviously not a vir-"

"Jay, please," Bradin leaned against his desk. "What are you getting at?"

"I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I noticed today that Ashley was wearing your sweatshirt and you two were acting …" Jay looked down at the floor.

"What?"

"Point blank: I know that you were not at Lucas' last night," Jay stated, looking back up at him.

"Why does it matter to you where I was last night?" Bradin crossed his arms across his chest and started to seem defensive.

"Were you with her? I'm just asking," Jay said calmly.

"Yeah," Bradin shrugged his shoulders. "I spent the night in her dorm. Are you asking if we slept together?"

"Dude, I already knew," Jay said, but he was smiling.

"So, you're not mad?" Bradin smirked.

"Who gave you your first condom, man?"

They shared a laugh remembering that day when Jay and Johnny had helped Bradin get ready for his first time with Sara. It seemed like a lifetime ago for Bradin.

"I'm just saying that you obviously don't wanna go telling your aunt-"

"Duh, man," Bradin laughed.

"-and that if you ever have to talk to anyone about any of that stuff, my door's always open. Well, except if I have a girl over, then it is locked closed," Jay laughed.

Bradin chuckled. "Is this whole awkward talk over now?"

"Yeah, we're done." Jay stood up and opened the door. "Now go get your girl before Nikki tells her what you used to do up till the age of 12."

Bradin stopped and looked at him. "She told you?!"

"Shit man, that was true! I was just fooling around with you!"

"Shut up, Jay," Bradin said grumpily as he walked out the door, leaving a cracking-up Jay behind.

* * *

"And then, up until he was 12 he would-"

"Nikki!" Bradin interrupted. "What are you talking about with my girlfriend?!"

Nikki and Ashley looked up from where they were talking on the living room couch and Nikki saw the fury in Bradin's eyes, so she quickly excused herself and ran outside.

"What was that all about?" Ashley asked with a smile.

"Nothing. My sister didn't tell you that many embarrassing stories about me, did she?" Bradin was trying not to panic.

Ashley stood up and smiled. "Only a few." She saw his eyes grow wide with fear and then said, "Don't worry, I'm kidding! She only said she thought you like me a lot. Then I said that I like you a lot. And then she told me that she hasn't seen you this happy in a long time, and that I definitely should never break up with you."

"Gotta love sisters, right?" Bradin smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Gotta love the free positive lines," she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Did I tell you how sexy you look right now?" he pulled apart a little and looked her over from head to toe. She was wearing a knitted skirt down to her mid-thigh, matching aqua t-shirt that revealed a little cleavage, and her hair was down and wavy. He noticed that she was wearing a bikini under her outfit and said, "Planning to go swimming later?"

"I am. With you," she raised her eye brows. "What would you say if I invited you over to the college for a little Jacuzzi and pool fun after dinner?"

"I would say that it sounds like the perfect ending to the perfect summer," Bradin smiled and moved in to kiss her, but was stopped by Ava clearing her throat.

The two of them pulled away and looked at her. "Sorry, guys, but food's ready."

Ashley smiled and Bradin led her out to the picnic table set up on the beach. Jay, Johnny, Susannah, Nikki, Derrick, and Nikki's boyfriend, Cameron were already sitting at the table. Ava sat at the head, opposite Johnny, and Bradin and Ashley sat across the table from each other, Bradin next to Jay and Ashley next to Nikki. They all said grace before hand and about 30 seconds later started eating.

About halfway through the dinner, Ashley looked up at Ava and thanked her for allowing her to hang out with them for the day.

"No problem, Ashley. I like for all family friends to feel at home here."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." Ashley and Ava shared a smile. "And um, I was wondering if Bradin could come over to the college for a swim after dinner."

Ava looked at Bradin, who was smiling at her in an innocent way. "I was wondering why you have a swim suit under your clothes," Ava laughed a little. "How long would you stay?" she asked Bradin.

"The pool closes at 10," Ashley said. "And then I can drive him back here so he's ready for school tomorrow." She stole a glance at Bradin and smiled.

"Please Aunt Ava?" Bradin looked at her with those big puppy-dog eyes and Ava just melted.

"Oh, Bradin. You know how much I can't stand those eyes!" Ava laughed. "Sure. I don't see the harm. Just make sure to be home by 10:30 at the latest."

"Thanks, Aunt Ava. Can we leave now?"

"Traffic," Ashley said. "It gets pretty backed up later heading to the city."

"Sure. You two are dismissed. So nice to see you again, Ashley."

"You too, Ava."

* * *

"Your aunt is so nice," Ashley said as they entered the outdoor pool and Jacuzzi set up in the middle of Ashley's dorm. It was usually grounded with drunk, over-pumped up guys and scantly-clad girls and tonight was no exception. It wasn't as bad as it could be, but there were still a lot of bodies in the pool. Luckily, it was a hot night so the Jacuzzi was completely empty.

"You're really thinking about my aunt right now?" Bradin asked as he took off his shirt and laid it on the closest beach chair.

"She's certainly nicer than my mom," Ashley mumbled, not paying attention to him. She looked sad, remembering her past relationship with her mother and father.

Bradin wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hey," he said, causing her to look into his eyes, "don't worry, you've got me now. Mi familia es tu familia."

Ashley smiled and kissed his sweetly. "Gracias."

"De nada. Now, no more espanol. I'm all set to go in the Jacuzzi, but I'm still waiting for your bikini reveal. You see the problem here."

Ashley laughed and pulled away. She put down her towel and took off her shirt. "You always know exactly what to say to make me feel better." Then, she put the shirt down and slipped out of her skirt.

"And you always know exactly what to do to make me feel better," Bradin commented as he not-so-subtly checked out his girlfriend's body in that little blue and white bikini.

"What a gentleman," Ashley smirked. She walked past him and Bradin couldn't help but check out her behind. Then, she stopped. "If you just checked out my butt, which I'm almost 99.9 sure you just did, you have to go under the water fully. Head and all." She turned back around and smiled.

"Now, that's not fair. It's not my fault that you have one smokin' bod. You should be flattered that I looked, and I definitely should not be punished for that."

"Who said that it's a punishment?" Ashley stepped closer to him. "Maybe I like seeing you all wet."

With that, she walked slowly into the Jacuzzi and winced at the hot temperature. She stood in the middle and slowly turned around to find Bradin right in front of her, already all wet.

"Man, that was hot," he said, then smiled and kissed her. She smiled and continued to kiss him. They sat down and began to make out, oblivious to the stupid drunken college students all around them.

Bradin couldn't help but think how his life has changed since meeting Ashley in the hospital. His stay there for a week seemed like a lifetime ago. He was still with Callie and Ashley was the hot candy striper that Bradin wanted more since he couldn't have her. But now that he did have her, he was determined to not let her go.

Ashley was so happy that she had signed up for the candy striper job like her guidance counselor had suggested. "It would look good on your job applications," she had said. Little did Ashley know that she would find an amazing boy there, too. And even though they had only known each other for a few weeks, she could feel herself falling in love with him kiss by kiss. _"God, he's an amazing kisser."_

Eventually, it was almost closing time and Bradin had to leave.

"Why does school have to come up so soon?" he complained as they sat in his driveway. "I want to see you tomorrow."

"You can see me tomorrow," Ashley said. He put his hand in hers and she played with his fingers. "I have a class at 2:30 but it should be over around 4:00. Wanna meet up at the beach or something after?"

"I have to talk to my surf coach after school tomorrow, so that works. They have practice every Tuesday through Thursday at 3:30 at Two Brother's."

"What are you going to talk to him for?"

"I want to get back on the team," Bradin sighed. "I talked to Aunt Ava today and she said that since my attitude is improving, huge thanks to you, I can surf again."

"That's great!" Ashley said.

"I just hope that Coach Preston will give me another chance …" Bradin drifted off.

"He will," Ashley said positively. "He has to."

* * *

Hope this is long enough for y'all! Song of the chapter – "Into Ya" by Jesse McCartney, from his new CD. Yes, I bought it and yes, I like it. haha But I'm still a hard-core Shia LaBeouf fan (just saw Indiana Jones 4 two times actually so that proves it).

I can't promise when I'll update again, but I do have an idea for the next chapter, so give me a week or so with this insane schedule. The more reviews, however, the less time I'll spend not updating!


	17. Chapter 17: Heart Attack

I had off today (for Memorial Day) and I figured "What the hell

I had off today (for Memorial Day) and I figured "What the hell? I'll update again! They love me on here anyway." haha So here I am again. I figured you deserved a new chapter anyway.

Thank you to:

**xoshubsox: **Thank you for the kind review and adding me to all your lists. It really means a lot, thankx )

**justthegirl07: **I hope this is "ASAP" for ya ;) haha

**angel-prncess-18: **Yeah, I find his newest album to be my favorite, so far. It really helps me get into the story too, although I'm not quite sure how ...

**Ash Riley: **Oh yeah, I didn't think of that "Good things come to those who wait" line. I just might use that in a chapter somewhere down the line, because, as you know, I'm pretty much making this up as I go. haha

And now onto the new chapter:

* * *

Chapter 17: Heart Attack

The following day was the first day of school for all the Westerly children. Derrick was starting the seventh grade, his second year at Playa Linda Middle School, Nikki was a sophomore and Bradin was finally at his senior year of Playa Linda High. All three of them were excited to see all their old friends and meet their new teachers for the year (Nikki more than her brothers for that latter part).

Bradin was just excited to get the boring first day of school over with. There was only so much "Welcome to your final year in high school! and Take a look at my syllabus for all the books we'll be reading throughout the year!" speeches a person could take in one day. For him, that last bell couldn't ring fast enough; he had to get down to the beach as fast as he could to talk to Coach Preston about his recruitment.

So, the second 9th period's sweet bell of freedom rang, he was out of the school and running down the beach stairs. _"One good thing about having a high school in Playa Linda – it has no where left to go but by the beach! And these stairs to Two Brother's make for an easy passage-way,"_ he thought as he just stepped onto the warm sand.

He saw the surf team start to congregate by one of the lifeguard stands, and walked toward them.

"Well, look who we got here, guys!" a fellow senior, Blake, said as he saw Bradin approaching. "Bradin Westerly!"

Bradin smiled as the rest of the team turned around and shouted out their comments; "Never thought I'd see you again!, Good to know you're still around, Westerly!, What happened to you, man? We missed you!" No one on the team knew about Bradin's over-dose except the coach and his friend, Lucas.

"Yeah, well, new school year and I thought you guys might need me back," Bradin said as he shook some of their hands.

When he came to Lucas, he just smiled and Lucas said, "It's nice to have you back, Brae."

"It's good to be back," Bradin smiled.

"Who says you're back on the team, Westerly?" a growling voice boomed behind him. Bradin immediately turned around and saw Coach Preston, holding a clipboard and watching the waves.

"I was hoping we could talk, Coach," Bradin said.

"Hold on." Coach yelled at the team to get in the water and start surfing, then turned back to Bradin. "What makes you think that you can just come back from over-dosing and expect to have your position back? You're glad I don't kick your ass right this minute for showing up at a practice! My boys do not need to see your drugged body."

Bradin winced at his last comment. Coach could be harsh, but he didn't know he would take it this bad. "Coach, I'm not into that anymore. It was a one-time thing, I swear. … I can't give you anything more than my word that I will never do anything as stupid as that again," Bradin said. He looked Coach in the eyes and hoped that his sincerity showed through.

Coach Preston thought for a moment and looked at his team in the water. "Andrew, stop fooling around and get back on your board!" he shouted. Then he turned back to Bradin and said, "We do have a spot left in the lineup. Is your aunt down for this?"

"Yes, she just gave me permission yesterday to start surfing again."

"Okay," Coach finally said. "I'll allow you back on the team, under a test route. If you mess up like that one more time you're off for good, you hear that?"

"Yes, Coach," Bradin smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"Now, go get changed and pick up a board," Coach yelled, bringing back the hard external mold. "You have three weeks of non-surfing to make up for, and you're gunna need all the practice you can get!"

For once, Bradin was happy to hear Coach yelling. He quickly changed into a wetsuit and ran out to the lineup with his fellow teammates, most of whom were cheering for him as he arrived.

"Glad to see you got through the Coach," Lucas smiled as Bradin pulled up next to him.

"Oh, you have no idea."

* * *

About a half hour later, Bradin was getting the shit ripped out of him. He had been away for so long, it had taken him a few minutes to get back the groove of surfing. And while he was trying to find that "groove", practically all of his teammates were ripping on him and rushing right past him to get the wave. Coach Preston was yelling at him so much, he was glad that he could barely hear over the sound of the waves.

Bradin was sitting in line-up, taking a break with a few other guys, when he noticed Ashley waving to him from the sand. She was sitting on one of the higher rocks, so it was easier for Bradin to see that she was only wearing a bikini and looking through a lot of books. Bradin waved and smiled back and immediately all of the guys around him wanted to know who the "hot girl" was.

"Are you holding back on us, B?" Blake asked as he looked over Ashley one more time.

"Yeah, who is the babe?" Andrew asked.

"My new girlfriend," Bradin simply said and smiled. He could see every guy's eyes widen and immediately look back at Ashley and to him again.

"What? She's not in high school, is she?"

"Sophomore at Playa Linda State," he smiled again.

"How …? When …? What?!"

Bradin laughed at his teammates' apparent attitude of shock and started explaining how he met Ashley and what went on with him and Callie. "We broke up before I met her," he lied. It's not like he could tell the truth to these guys; they knew all the same people Bradin knew. Only Lucas knew the real story behind Ashley and he would never tell anyone. "I was just hanging out at the park one day and saw Ashley reading a book a few feet away from me. So I talked to her and we went on our first date a couple days later."

"That's why you've been avoiding us for the past few weeks," Blake said. "You didn't want me to meet her and have her run away with me." He eyed Ashley one more time before taking a wave, no doubt to show off.

"Yes, that's exactly why," Bradin said dryly as he followed him.

A few minutes later, Coach called them in and talked to them about practice the next day. But Bradin really wasn't paying attention. He saw Ashley begin to walk over to him with a smile on her face, a bag on her shoulder no doubt filled with books, and nothing much else. She stood by the board holder when Bradin walked towards her. But Blake beat him to it and introduced himself to Ashley before Bradin could say anything.

"Hello there," Blake smiled, holding out his hand. "I'm a friend of Bradin's. I know that the two of you are going out, but I just wanted to say that once you get tired of this lame excuse for a surfer you can call me up and I'll be more than ready to pick up where old-boy Scrappy here left off."

Ashley smiled as politely as she could. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't associate with egotistical, arrogant, jerks who are more than willing to put their friend under the bus just to get a shot with a college girl who's not even looking their way." Bradin and Blake's jaws dropped simultaneously. "Now, if you would excuse me," she dropped his hand and grabbed Bradin's, "I haven't seen my boyfriend for a whole 18 hours so, as you can imagine, we have a lot of catching up to do." And to put salt on Blake's burn, she smiled at Bradin and leaned in to kiss Bradin as best she could, biting his lip gently as she pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"Damn," was all Bradin could muster. He didn't even watch Blake walk away; he was too caught up in Ashley's aggressiveness that he kept kissing her on the beach with no worries to whoever saw them.

* * *

Song of the chapter: "Heart Attack" by Low vs. Diamond. Great song if I do say so myself, and I think it works towards the end when they're making out on the beach.

For those of you who can't get enough of the drama and feel as if my story is lacking some at this point (I know some of you are!) fear not, for I have in my head the idea for the new chapter to be filled with plenty of jealousy drama between our two lovers. Check back soon for more ... And don't forget to review!!


	18. Chapter 18: Your Love is a Lie

Don't worry; I haven't forgotten about this story, I've just had zero time to work on it

Don't worry; I haven't forgotten about this story, I've just had zero time to work on it ... But, with finals coming up, I knew I would have little to no time at all for the next week or so to update, so I decided to just update now to get this VERY dramatic chapter out there. At least, I think it's VERY dramatic. haha

But before I get to that, I want to thank my loyal reviewers:

**JmacKarla: **The drama won't be exactly between his family ... but it's sure to cause some controversy.

**angel-prncess-18: **Yeah, I find myself listening to his new CD like every day now ... it's REALLY good! haha

**Ash Riley: **You've waited ... 10 days for the new chapter. Does it feel that long to you? haha But obviously once school's over – for the both of us – we'll have hopefully more time to update.

Thanks also to **justthegirl07**, **xoshubsox**, **kbg17223**, and **acciodanrad9** for reviewing! Enjoy the new chapter, and don't forget to review!!

* * *

Chapter 18: Your Love is a Lie

"Okay, guys, while we have a lull in the conversation: your aunt and I are having our annual Labor Day party this Saturday night," Johnny spoke up during a pause in the breakfast talk.

"Wasn't Labor Day last weekend, Johnny?" Nikki asked, picking at her grapefruit.

"It was," Ava said, "but the house wasn't exactly ready for a house party last weekend. We were too concerned with you guys going back to school and all. And since we always have this party every year-"

"I've gotten complaints from past guests that we should have it as soon as possible," Jay interrupted her. "Many of the regulars look forward to this party every year."

"So, I hope it's okay if we do have it this weekend," Ava said to the kids. "You can all invite friends and Bradin, if you want to invite Ashley …"

Bradin looked up from his cereal. "Yeah," he smiled, "I haven't seen her in a few days, with school and stuff, so it'll be nice to catch up. Can I use the car after school to invite her?"

"Sure, just make sure to come home for dinner," Ava said. "The keys will be in their usual spot."

"Thanks," he stood up and checked the clock. "I have to get going – promised Luke I would meet him."

"Have a good day, hunny!" Ava called as Bradin walked out the patio doors with backpack in tow.

* * *

After school, Bradin jumped in the driver's seat of his aunt's Chevrolet and drove to Playa Linda State, about a half hour journey. Along the way, he cranked up the radio and thought about how long it had been since seeing Ashley. Obviously, her college and his high school schools got in the way of them hanging out, but it had been almost a week since he had last seen her. And, Bradin couldn't believe this one, he actually missed her a lot. Sure, he had had many girlfriends over the years (Erica, Sara, and Callie included), but he never really missed them like he missed Ashley. Moving past the sexual attraction, Bradin found he truly and deeply cared about her and while that scared him a little, it also made him want to get to her as fast as he could so he could hug her and kiss her again.

_"Man, what is wrong with me?"_ he thought as he smiled and pulled into the parking lot of Ashley's dorm building. He hoped that she was there and not stuck in a class.

He walked inside the building and the few feet to her dorm room and then knocked on the door. "It's open!" he heard Ashley call from inside. His smile grew even more as he turned the door knob and eliminated the distance between them.

Then he stopped short and his smile faltered. Inside, Ashley was sitting on her bed, leaning over a book, and right next to her was a college-age guy.

Ashley looked up and gasped when she realized it was him, and not her roommate like she thought. "Bradin!" she smiled, gave the book to the other guy, and ran over to where he was still standing in the doorway. Wrapping him in a big hug, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Bradin hugged her back and quickly smelled her flower-scented hair, before pulling away and saying, "I just had some time off and thought that I would come up and see you. I didn't know you'd have company …" He trailed off, but tried to keep the coldness out of his voice. _"Don't jump to conclusions, Bradin,"_ he told himself. _"You don't know who this guy is and why he's here. Let her explain."_

"Oh yeah," Ashley smiled, as if forgetting that the other guy was still in the room. By that point, Joe College was standing up and holding the text book in his hand. "Bradin, this is my friend, Alec, and Alec, this is my boyfriend, Bradin," she introduced them. Alec reached out to shake Bradin's hand and Bradin reluctantly let him. "Alec's in my Physic class and he's helping me memorize traits of the human brain. I thought it would be easy … but it's not turning out to be."

"You just need more time, Ash," Alec said easily. "I will stay with you all night if that's what it takes."

Bradin narrows his eyes a little at Alec's comment. _"And what's with the 'Ash' nickname?"_

"We have a major test tomorrow," Ashley explained, looking back at Bradin. He was smiling, but Ashley could feel something was wrong with him. "Um … Alec, do you mind giving Bradin and I a few minutes?"

"Sure," he said, moving to the door. "I'll just go get some more flashcards from my room."

When he had closed the door behind him, Bradin said, "He lives near you?"

"Two dorms down, actually," she said. "Is something wrong, Bradin?"

"Not really, Ash, I just walked in on you and another guy," he said sarcastically as he pulled away from her and walked farther into the room.

"We were just studying, Brae," she said. "It's not a big deal. Alec's just a friend of mine."

"Well, it didn't look like that to me," he said.

"He has a girlfriend, Brae," she said. "They've been going out since he was in high school and are very much in love."

"So, that automatically means he won't cheat?"

Ashley scoffed. "Wow, are you actually doing this right now?"

"Doing what?"

"We haven't seen each other for a week, and you come down here and immediately start throwing out accusations that I'm cheating on you! What are we in, high school? What's to stop me from thinking that you're down there, cheating on me with a naïve freshman? Oh, wait, I know! Trust. I thought you had some of that for me."

"Ash-" Bradin didn't know that she would freak out like this on him, and he began seeing where he went wrong.

"No, how dare you come into my room and immediately start accusing me of something like that! You know how Trey hurt me so much because I thought I could trust him!"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't think it would be like this."

"Like what? We go to different schools, and there's obviously gunna be some tension whenever you see me with another guy and I see you with another girl. You would be ignorant to think otherwise."

"I guess I'm ignorant then," he mumbled as he leaned against her desk.

They stood in silence for a few moments, neither sure of what to say next. Finally, Ashley broke the quiet and said, "Look, regardless of what you thought when you walked in here, Alec is my friend and we do have to study. So just tell me what you wanted to tell me, and then I'm asking that you go."

Bradin let out a breath and walked toward the door. "My Aunt Ava is having a party on Saturday at the house, and I thought it would be great if we could hang out and spend some time together again," he said. "It starts at 6:00 if you wanna swing down to my immature high school neighborhood and come." Then without another word, he opened her door and left.

Ashley sighed and bit her lip as Alec came back into her room. "Is everything okay?" he asked, holding flashcards and a pen.

She looked at him for a moment, still so mad at Bradin for his rude comments, and asked, "Do you wanna go to a party with me Saturday night?"

* * *

Okay, so shorter than I intended, but that's all the energy I am willing to give right now. Next chapter all the real shit goes down. haha

Song of the chapter: Your Love is a Lie by Simple Plan; Not exactly the point of the chapter, but close enough, right? haha


	19. Chapter 19: Feel This

Okay, since I almost have 100 reviews

Okay, since I almost have 100 reviews ... I decided to give back something to my wonderful readers/reviewers – a **DOUBLE** chapter!! Yes, you read right ... I am making this chapter as big as two chapters – with more the drama, more the dialogue, and more the Summerland-ness (yes, I just made that word up)!

But first I want to thank my amazing and dedicated reviewers for making my day and taking the time to send in their love:

**JustTheGirl07: **Oh yes, you can expect Bradin to FLIP OUT when Ashley shows up with Alec!

**acciodanrad9: **Maybe they're "just friends" and maybe they're not ... read ahead to see!

**Ash Riley: **Okay, you got the "heads up" – now let's see who reviews first. haha And I'm glad it seemed very realistic when I was talking about the high school and college dating world; I pulled most of the stuff out of my ass. haha

**JmacKarla: **Oo, a fist fight between Alec and Bradin ... I'm intrigued. Maybe I'll put that into the chapter now. haha Thanks for the idea )

Thank you also **princessoffndrkness06**, **angel-prncess-18**, and **Krissy** for taking the time out to review. Now, I don't want to have you wait much longer ... so here is the double chapter, chapter 19!!

* * *

Chapter 19: Feel This

It was Friday, the day of their party and the day that Bradin had dreaded the most. _"Is Ashley even gunna show?"_ he thought to himself as he watched his family run around the house, starting to set up for that night.

He hadn't spoken to her since Tuesday night, when he basically accused her of cheating on him with that college stud, Alec. At the time, he had been really mad and didn't think about what he was saying, so of course now he wished that he could take it all back. _"But obviously, it doesn't work out that way."_

Sure, he had thought about calling her, and even dialed the number and went through with it some times, but she never answered and wanted to talk to him. She would have her roommate (her name was Brooke, he had found out) answer and tell him that Ashley was either (a) studying (b) washing her hair or (c) out of the country. He especially liked that last one. Of course, he realized after the second time he called, when he got that last answer from Brooke, that she was there but just didn't want to talk to him. _"It's not like I can blame her,"_ he thought miserably as he flipped through TV channels in the living room.

Bradin had been sitting on that couch and staring bleakly into the TV since the moment he had gotten home from school, and Johnny was tired of passing him every time he had to go to the kitchen.

So the next time he passed Bradin, Johnny leaned over the couch and said, "Hey LonelyBoy18, you wanna get off your butt and stop sulking long enough to help us prepare for the party in a couple hours? We could really use your help."

Bradin sighed and stared straight ahead at the TV without saying a word. Johnny put down the tiki torches he was holding and went in front of the TV, grabbed the remote out of Bradin's hand, and turned it off.

"I hope you know that wasn't a question, it was a command," he said. "Now stand up, get off your ass, and go outside to see what Ava wants you to do. I don't care what happened, you've been like this for the past three days, and we're all sick of seeing you mope around the house like this."

Bradin just rolled his eyes and looked down at his feet.

"That's it." Johnny picked Bradin off of the couch, stood him up straight and pushed him outside into the warm, clean air. "Okay, Ava, Bradin would like to grow up now and help us. What can he do?"

Ava looked up from where she was ordering more night lamps, and saw Johnny forcing Bradin to stand in place as he groaned and protested. She stood up, put down the phone, and told Johnny to go away, that she would talk to Bradin. So Johnny walked back into the house, grabbed the tiki torches, and walked back down the beach.

"Bradin, hunny, what's wrong?" Ava asked as she motioned for him to sit on the picnic table with her.

"I'm fine, Aunt Ava," Bradin mumbled, still looking down at his feet.

"You are obviously not fine. Did something happen at school, with your friends, with Ashley? She is such a nice girl, Bradin, I hope that you two will work it out."

"I just messed up and accused her of … something that she obviously did not do. I was stupid and I've been trying to call her and apologize, but she won't answer."

"Did you invite her tonight?"

"Yeah, but I would be shocked if she showed," he said disdainfully.

Ava smiled, "You never know what will happen when you're talking about love."

Bradin looked up and said, "No, Aunt Ava, I am not in love." But all Ava did was nod her head and continue smiling. "I'm really not."

"Okay, I have a few moments to spare: I want you to close your eyes."

"What?"

"Trust me, just do it. Now, close your eyes and think about the happiest you've been since you came here two years ago. Go all the way back, too. Do you have an image?"

"… Yeah."

"What's it of?" Ava smiled.

Bradin opened his eyes and said, "I invited Ashley to a bon fire at the beach with a lot of my surfer friends and their girlfriends a few weeks ago. We just sat by the fire and talked, but I can remember everything about her that night; what she was wearing, what she smelled like, even the look in her eye when she got cold and I gave her my sweatshirt. It was like we were the only two people on the beach that night. … Wow, that sounds like I'm in love, huh?"

"It sure does," Ava smiled. "Now all you have to do is tell her."

"I don't think she wants to talk to me right now, Aunt Ava, much less be in the same room."

"If you invited her, and you have three days for her to cool off, I would pretty much bet on her showing up. When she does though, you two talk. I want all this cleared up before the night is over." Then Ava sent Bradin to work on the DJ stand with Nikki and Cameron, since Bradin would be the unofficial DJ for the night.

* * *

Just a couple hours later, Ava's "Labor Day" party was in full swing and the house and backyard were packed with guests. Ava had given all of the family members their own job, however, so none of them could escape into the night and lose track of time.

Apart from Bradin being assigned DJ for the night, Nikki and Derrick were to keep up with the food, drinks, and garbage around the house, Susannah and Jay were positioned by the door for greetings and operator of the "key bowl", and Johnny and Ava were to just watch over the party as a whole and make sure everything was going smoothly.

Bradin couldn't much concentrate at the DJ stand outside, for he was always looking up from the equipment at the doors to see if Ashley had entered. After the talk he had with Ava earlier, he was convinced that he was truly in love with her and he couldn't wait to tell her. And what his aunt had said had brought a little comfort to him; it had been three whole days since their fight, so she was bound to show up at any moment.

_"At least, I hope so,"_ he thought as he once again looked up and didn't see her in the crowd. It had already been an hour or so into the party.

"Bradin?"

Bradin looked up with a start, expecting to see Ashley standing in front of him, but only saw Rachel, a friend of his from school. She was standing there, smiling at him, but all Bradin could think about was that she was not Ashley.

"Oh, hey Rach. What are you doing here?"

"Lucas told me that you would be here," she said, "and I just wanted to stop by." She walked behind the DJ stand and sat next to him on one of the high-rise stools. "I've noticed that you haven't been your usual kinda-cheery self lately, and I just wanted to know if I could do anything to get back that infamous Bradin Westerly smile?"

"I'm fine, Rach," he stopped working and turned to her. "I just got into a fight with my girlfriend, Ashley, a few days ago and it's been wearing me down."

"Oh, are you two okay?"

She sounded so concerned and Braidn knew that he could trust Rachel – she had been there from the beginning, showing him around Playa Linda High and just being an awesome friend to him. He had even introduced her to her current boyfriend, Steve, the summer before.

"Not really," he said. "I just realized today that I'm in love with her, and I can't believe I accused her not three days ago of cheating on me."

Rachel put her hand on Bradin's arm. "You just have to talk to her, B."

"I've been looking at those doors all night, but I haven't seen her," Bradin seemed defeated.

"Then you know what you have to do," she stated matter-of-factly.

"And what is that?" he looked at her.

Rachel laughed and said, "Yep, this is definitely Bradin Westerly; dense as a wall. Bradin, if the girl doesn't come to you – you must go to the girl."

"Oh! Wow, why didn't I think of that? Because, you know, I would hate to go all the way to PLS and have the door slammed in my face," he said. "Rach, I've obviously already thought of that. She's not gunna listen to me if I just barge right in to her room."

"Than make her listen, dammit!" Rachel yelled. "You are Bradin Westerly, you can certainly get a girl to listen to you if you try hard enough! Now, I want you to march down to PLS, knock on her door, and not have her slam it in her face."

Bradin laughed. "You know what, I'm crazy enough right now to listen to you and do it! I'm gunna do it!"

"There ya go!" Rachel moved out of the way and let Bradin walk past, to the front doors where he would explain to Jay or Susannah and have them cover for him. "Don't worry; I'll take over here!"

* * *

Ashley entered Bradin's house with no idea of how their impending talk would go over. All she knew was that she had three days to calm down and think about their little fight, and with that time she realized where Bradin's point of view when he had accused her of cheating on him with Alec. They had been in a compromising situation, and while she still believed he had gone too far, she could see where he was coming from.

_"I just have to make sure that I talk to Bradin about this soon, or I'm really gunna lose it."_

"Ashley!"

Ashley looked ahead and saw one of Bradin's roommates, Susannah, smiling at her from the post at the stair case.

"Hey, girl! About time you showed up!"

Ashley figured that Bradin had not told anyone about their fight, so she just played along and said, "Yeah, I thought I would make an appearance."

"Well, Bradin has been waiting for you since this afternoon, so you better make it outside as fast as you can, because I don't know how long he can wait."

"_Really?"_ she thought to herself. _"Well, I guess that's a good sign."_

"Yeah, I'll head out there right now."

"Oh, hold on there, Ashley," Jay said. "I know that you can't technically drink yet, but it's a rule at our parties to put your car keys into this bowl just in case." He motioned to a bowl on the table, so she just smiled and obliged.

Making her way outside, Ashley looked around in all directions for a sighting of Bradin. Jay had said he was manning the DJ stand, so she looked in the direction of the music, and sure enough found him sitting behind equipment and looking kind of sad. For some reason, that mad Ashley feel better, so she smiled and began to walk in his direction. Before she could reach his stand, however, she saw another girl walk up to him and then sit down next to him. Ashley stopped in her tracks and looked at them for a moment; she saw this mystery girl take his arm in a gentle, even flirtatious manor and him eventually seem to brighten up and stand up, and bolt into the crowd.

"_What is going on?"_ she thought. _"Is he trying to get back at me for having another guy in my life, that he has to hit on random other girls? And where is he going?" _She watched through the crowd, as he began to get closer to her general direction, so she backed up and stepped back inside the house, into a room she was sure of was Bradin's. _"I'll just hide out here until he gets back; then we definitely have to talk."_

Ashley sat on his bed and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the talk ahead. She had never been so nervous in her life. What was she going to tell him? Should she tell him that there was no way that she would ever let another guy into her life because she was falling for Bradin so bad that it kind of scared her? Would that be too soon in the relationship? _"What if he can't take it and runs away?"_

All of a sudden, the door opened and Bradin walked into the room. He was taking off his shirt, but stopped halfway through when he saw her sitting on his bed.

"Ashley! What are you doing here? I was just about to-"

"We have to talk, Bradin."

"That doesn't sound good …" he said as he put his shirt back on and closed the door.

Ashley stood up and walked over to the far wall.

"I just wanna say that I'm really sorry for what I said earlier, Ash," Bradin started. "I shouldn't of accused you of cheating. I was just … jealous, I guess."

"Jealous of what?"

"I don't know … I mean, you're in college and you're so independent, regardless of how you got there, you are doing a fantastic job. And then I come along – a senior in high school of Christ's sake … I just think that you could do a whole lot better than me. I just feel so juvenile when I visit you."

"Bradin-"

"No, no. I know that I shouldn't feel that way, because you're only a year older than me. But, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I've decided that I want to go to Playa Linda State next year."

"Really?" she walked a little closer to him.

"Yeah. I think it's the best thing to do."

"What about that whole 'I have to get as far away as possible' thing?"

"Well, that was the plan … up till I realized that I can't be away from the girl I love," he smiled and walked to her.

Ashley was in a state of shock. "Love?"

"Ashley Danes," he took her hand and looked deep into her eyes, "I am in love with you."

Ashley smiled back, but didn't say anything.

"And if you don't feel the same, it's okay," Bradin said hurriedly. He was beginning to worry that he had just made a complete fool of himself. "I mean, I know I'm going too fast …"

Ashley shook her head and put a finger up to Bradin's lips to silence him. "If you would let me talk for second, I will tell you that I love you too, Bradin."

"Yeah?"

Ashley smiled, pulled him onto the bed, and said, "Yeah," before she kissed him.

At that moment, both realized their mistakes and faults and instantly forgave each other without saying a word – their kisses spoke for them. Bradin and Ashley just lay on the bed for what felt like eternity, before Bradin quickly got up to lock both doors leading outside, grabbed a few condoms from his desk drawer, and went under the covers with her.

* * *

Hope that was long enough for ya ;)

The song of the chapter is "Feel This" originally made by Enation. But I used the newer version sung by Bethany Joy Galeotti ("Haley" on One Tree Hill).


	20. Chapter 20: Dream

Sorry for the delay after that double chapter, but I had finals and stuff last week

Sorry for the delay after that double chapter, but I had finals and stuff last week. But now that school is officially OVER ... expect more updates more frequently (at least, that's the plan). Well, before I start, I want to thank my many reviewers for getting me over the 100 mark!! Now let's focus on the 150 mark! haha

**RavenRoyale': **Thank you! I try to choose songs that are pretty well known, so I'm glad you enjoy them )

**SecondStarToTheRight: **hmm ... That's a hard question ... I think my favorites off his new CD are Leavin', It's Over, Into Ya, and Runnin'. I love that they are all so catchy and have a good message ... well, fore the most part ;) haha But thank you for your review and I'm glad you enjoy all my dialogue!

**angelprncess-18: **I was actually gunna have Alec come to the party with Ashley originally, but after a LOT of thought I decided that it would be best if he had not. I thought they deserved a good ending after all. But don't worry – I've got drama cooking up for this chapter again!

**Ash Riley: **haha Hope this is fast enough for ya ;)

Also thanks to **princessoffndrknes06**, **acciodanrad9**, **MissAnomaly**, and **JmacKarla** for your kind words. Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

Chapter 20: Dream

"Good morning, Bradin … and Ashley."

"'Morning, Ava," Ashley smiled as best she could as she peeked her head from the other side of Bradin's bed.

"Hi, Aunt Ava," Bradin tried his best to hide the guilt from his voice. This was the second time that Ava had caught them in the early mornings before Ashley could sneak out Bradin's patio door and drive back to PLS. "I'm sorry, again."

Ava smiled as best she could. "When you're all set up in here, can I speak to the both of you on the patio?"

"Yeah."

When Ava closed his bedroom door, Bradin and Ashley let out their breaths and couldn't help but chuckle at the awkwardness of it all. It had been a good week and a half after they had confessed their love for each other at the Labor Day party and ever since then they had found themselves extremely sexually aroused when they were around the other. It had often times been too much to handle and they found themselves waking up together in either Bradin or Ashley's bed the next morning with a satisfied smile on their faces. Obviously, they had tried to contain themselves when in Bradin's room because of his siblings and aunt right outside the door, but on more than three occasions they simply could not wait. And it just so happened, this was not the first time Ava had walked into Bradin's room the morning after and found them together.

"Okay, you guys know what I am going to say already," Ava began as Bradin and Ashley walked outside fully clothed, "but I guess I'll have to repeat it again because you obviously have not learned your lesson. I know you two have become closer these past couple of weeks, in more ways than one, but I have to stress how important it is not to be doing these things here when Nikki and Derrick are present."

"We know, Ms. Greg-Ava, sorry," Ashley fumbled with her words as Bradin took her hand. "And I just want to say how wonderful it is that you're so cool about this whole situation. I could not imagine my mom, if she had been around, being as calm and open as you are."

"Well, the truth is, Ashley, I'm not really as cool about this as I come off, but I've learned to get past that and just realize that you two are gunna do what you do with or without my permission. Ashley, you yourself is even in college and I do not believe that I have any right to boss you around. And soon Bradin will be in college and moving away …"

"Aunt Ava," Bradin wined, "please, not the he's-growing-up-so-fast speech again!"

Ava smiled. "But it's true, Bradin. You really are growing up so fast," she had to stop from tearing up. "Oh, God, I'm sorry for this."

"Ashley smiled. "It's okay, Ava."

"Well, I just want to tell you both to again, please be careful and use protection. And if you refrain from doing you-know-what in the house at least when we're all present … that'd be wonderful," she smiled.

"Yeah, I think we got it, Aunt Ava," Bradin tried his best to smile as his aunt walked back into the house.

"You're aunt is so nice," Ashley gushed the second she was gone.

"More like understandable," Bradin said. "If that had been Johnny … well, let's just say that I would never be able to have fun with you again."

Ashley laughed as Bradin led her back into his room. Making sure to lock his front door, Bradin sat down on his bed and asked, "So, what do you want to do today?"

"Well, it's Saturday, and I don't have class until Monday," Ashley smiled. "What do you suggest?"

"We could … oh, I never asked you; do you know how to surf?"

"Kind of?" she laughed. "Trey taught me when we were little on a boogie board, but- Oh my, God."

"What?" Bradin looked up from his lap to find that Ashley had suddenly grown off-standish. "What's the matter?" he walked over to the other bed where she was sitting and sat down next to her.

"What day is it?" she asked, still looking to the far off distance.

"October 13. Why?"

"I just realized that today's the anniversary of his death," Ashley said. "I can't believe it's been three years already."

"Wow, Ash," Bradin immediately put a hand around her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled slightly as she faced him again. "I mean, it has been three years; I've moved on. It's just … well, you know."

"Yeah, I do," he answered for her, his mind quickly traveling back to his parents deaths two years earlier. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I think I know what we're gunna do today," he smiled at her.

"And what exactly is that?" she asked with a hint of fear.

"I am going to give you your first official surf lesson this morning, and then we'll go to lunch, and then … I'm feeling some fun in the sun at the beach in the afternoon? How does that sound?"

Ashley smiled, "That sounds perfect. And how about after dinner, we go back to my place?"

"Perfect," Bradin said and gave her a quick kiss. "But, no time to waste! I'll let you get ready," he gestured to the pre-packed overnight bag she brought along, "and I'll meet you outside in … 15 minutes?"

"Sounds good," Ashley smiled.

* * *

About a half hour later, Bradin and Ashley were walking inside Jay's surf shop, Beyond the Blue. Ashley needed a wet suit and a bikini since she had not packed one in her bag. While Jay and Bradin were talking board size, Ashley was searching about the swimsuits for a cute one she could show off to Bradin.

"Have you picked one yet?" Bradin asked as he walked over to her. "Jay got you a killer learning board, so you better not crash on it," he laughed.

"I can't decided between these two," she said, holding up two bikinis in each hand. One of them was black with white polka dots and the other was red with splashes of white. "Which one looks sexier?"

"Um … I can't tell just by you holding them for me," he said. "Maybe you should try them on? You know, to get the full effect?"

Ashley smiled. "Yeah, to get the full effect." She walked into the changing room and quickly came out wearing the black and white one. "What do you think? I don't think I like this one much, actually." She turned around for him.

"Well, it doesn't look that bad …" he trailed off as she shook her butt a little for him, then laughed. "What's the uh other one look like?"

Ashley went back inside and soon enough Bradin could hear her gasp in pleasure and clap.

"Ash?" he called.

"Oh my, God, Bradin! This one is defiantly it! Come in."

"But you could just-"

"Is Jay out there?"

Bradin looked up and saw Jay standing by the register, "Yes."

"Then, come in here," he could sense naughtiness to her voice and quickly opened the curtains and quickly went inside, closing them after he was in.

He turned around and could not help but look up and down Ashley's body as the red bikini fit her in all the right places. With her messy and full blonde hair, her tan skin, and her athletic body it looked like the bikini was custom-made especially for her and her alone. When she turned around, Bradin could not help but blankly check out her ass. It took all the power he had in him to not reach down and grab it, for he knew that she squealed when he touched her like that and he did not need Jay coming over.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I think … that I need to get in the cold water fast!" he said quickly. "Um … so you're going with that one then? Great! I'll go tell Jay and get you a wet suit while you change out."

Ashley quickly stopped him with her hand. "But I wanted to wear this out. I was hoping you could cut the tags for me. They're in the most awkward places."

"I'll be back in five seconds with scissors."

And soon enough, he came back inside holding a pair of scissors and having told Jay to ring up the bikini and a wet suit for her. She had two tags on the suit; one by the clasp in the back and the other on the strap on the side of her bottom piece. After Bradin cut both, he went to go outside before Ashley once again stopped him.

"You forgot to get into your suit, silly," she said with a smile. She quickly took off his shirt for him so all he had on was his suit. "That's better," she said as she ran her hands down his abs.

"So, are you ready to surf?" he asked as they walked closer together.

"In a minute," she said as their lips met in one smooth motion. They fooled around for a while, until Bradin remembered where they were and that a customer could walk in on them at any moment and had to stop.

"We'll pick this up later," he said as they pulled away.

"We better," Ashley smiled. The two of them collected themselves before walking out and then walking down to the beach, each holding a board and each other's hand protectively.

* * *

I was planning on continuing the chapter to where they're surfing, but I decided that it's best left off to the next one. Don't worry – drama on the way!

Song of the chapter: "Dream" by Priscilla Ahn (on the "Disturbia" soundtrack if you have it) Even though it's not a "dream" sequence of anything, I'm just going off the feeling of being in love; how it can seem like a wonderful dream.

Yeah, I know it's a stretch ... I just really LOVE this song! haha


	21. Chapter 21: Alright

Quick update

Quick update! I'm bored as shit here, so I decided to update! Thanks to **6Ellie6** and **acciodanrad9** for your reviews! It should be at least two more days till I update again ... so let's get more reviews, okay?

* * *

Chapter 21: Alright

"So, what do I do first?" Ashley asked when they were all set up at Two Brother's, a popular surfing spot for Playa Linda.

Bradin kept his wet suit open and it dangled from his waist. He put down both their surfboards on the sand and said, "Before you can go in the water, you have to learn on the beach."

"The beach?" Ashley repeated. "But, how is that-"

"Trust me, okay?" he reached for her hand and pulled her over next to him so she was in front of her board. "Okay, let's practice paddling on the board." He knelt down on his board and Ashley mimicked him. They lay flat on their stomachs and started moving their arms in a paddling motion over the sides of the boards. "Now, you should be looking behind you every few seconds to make sure a wave hasn't snuck up on you. When a wave is in position, and is coming along a few feet from where you're paddling, you should jump up on your board and position your right foot in the front with your left foot behind, like this," he demonstrated. "Now, you try."

Ashley started fake-paddling, and all of a sudden Bradin yelled, "Jump!" and she hastily stood up on her board. But she had not anticipated it to be so slippery and quickly lost her balance. Bradin quickly held out his arms and saved her from a nasty fall on her back. "Yeah, we probably should have waxed this board first," he apologized.

"Maybe," Ashley said sarcastically. He pulled out a tube of wax from his bag and she set to waxing the board. "You know, I think I got the just of this," she said when she was almost done. "I could probably try it you know, out on the water?"

Bradin chuckled, "Sure. Be my guest. I'll just watch you from here."

Ashley smiled, stood up with her board, and ran out to the waves.

* * *

A couple hours and a few thousand falls later, Ashley hunched over her board as she walked out of the water with Bradin in tow. She was exhausted and sat down immediately as they reached their towels.

"Not as easy as it looks, right Ash?" Bradin couldn't help but laugh as he dug his board into the sand and took off his wet suit. He picked her board off the sand and dug into right next to his.

Ashley gave him an evil look before dropping her head back on the towel. "No, it is not, Bradin. I have never been so tired in my life! Everything aches and I think I broke my arm at that last fall."

Bradin smirked and sat down next to her. "I'm sure you're fine. If it's any consolation, I was worse when I first started surfing."

"Yeah, right. You're a natural, Brae. Even someone with absolutely no surf experience as I could pick that up when you were out there."

"Well, I can't argue with that," he said with a laugh. Ashley tried to kick him with her foot but ended up just kicking it up in the air and quickly bringing it back down again. "What was that? Were you going to kick me?"

"I was trying to," she said in frustration. She groaned as she tried to undo her wet suit from behind, but couldn't bring her arms back enough to reach the snap.

"Do you need some help with that?" he asked as he was moving behind her.

Giving up on the sarcastic comebacks, she sighed and said, "Yes, I do actually. If you could just take this thing off me, I will be eternally grateful."

Bradin smiled as he unlocked the clip to her wet suit and began taking it off her. She sat up and moved her arms out of the sleeves, then lied back down as he got in front of her and pulled it out of her legs.

Ashley smiled as he through it away, then came on top of her on the towel. She bit her lip as he kissed his way up her stomach, wiping away sand particles as he did. When he kissed between her breast bone and worked his way up her neck, she couldn't help but sigh in pleasure. After a while, they were soon making out on the beach, his arms around her waist and her arms entangled in his wet hair.

Bradin's cell phone alarm beeped during this time, however, and he sighed and got off her as he went into the bag to shut it off.

"You set an alarm?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah," he sat down next to her on the towel, "I wanted us to have enough time to go to lunch and not sit out here the whole day making out. But now I'm starting to regret that idea."

Ashley smiled. "Well, I guess a little structure isn't too bad." She got up from the towel and stretched her arms high above her head, loosening up the kinks she had earned from surfing. "Besides, I don't know about you, but I could go for a big hamburger right about now."

"With extra fries?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," she smiled. "And a strawberry milkshake to share."

"Ooh!" Bradin got up and shook all the sand from his hair. "What are we waiting for?"

Ashley laughed as she quickly dried her hair with another towel, wrapped it around her waist, put her bag on her shoulder, and grabbed her board. "Lead the way."

* * *

After a hardy lunch at Mona's Sandbar of hamburgers, extra fries, and a strawberry milkshake to share, Bradin and Ashley headed back to the beach; this time to play volleyball with a bunch of Bradin's friends from the surf team.

On one side was Bradin, Blake, Michael, Shelly (Blake's current interest), and Sam (Michael's girlfriend) and one the other was Ashley, Andrew, and three random girls who had joined – Marissa, Molly, and Sarah. For the most part, Ashley's team was winning but of course that did not bode well for Blake, who was extremely competitive. During the last half of the game, Bradin's team pulled through and won because Shelly had distracted Andrew and he had missed blocking the ball.

"Cheaters!" Ashley exclaimed as the game ended and the other team celebrated.

"What? Cheaters? Us?" Blake called out in mock-shock. "I am appalled, Bradin, that your girlfriend would say such a thing!"

"So am I," Bradin played along. "You have to know, Ash, there are no rules in beach volleyball. And simply reaching down to tie your invisible shoe is not cheating."

Ashley smiled, for she was not really mad, and walked over to him. "Okay, so what do I have to do?"

"What?"

"Well, you won; I lost. I must have to do something."

Blake bumped into his shoulder and winked at him as he walked off with Shelly. "Oh, right," Bradin looked at her.

"So, what's my punishment?"

Bradin smiled and bit his lip, thinking it over. "Hmm … how about-wait, no that's too easy … you could-nah, that's too hard …"

Ashley laughed. "You know, the window will be closing soon."

"I got it! Since I know how much you love to sing in public, and since I know how amazing of a singer you really are …"

"Bradin!"

"Dinner tonight at the Red Pub Café where you have to sing karaoke," he smiled.

"Brae, that isn't fair!"

"Don't worry, I'll be with you the whole time."

"Good! Then we're doing a duet!"

"Duet? Um … I don't think-" Bradin began to feel nervous.

"Too bad. It's happening," Ashley smiled triumphantly. "I'll see you at the Café at 7:30 sharp."

* * *

Sorry the chapter's so short. I thought I'd save the karaoke for the next one. haha

Song of the chapter: "Alright" by Knivez Out (on the "21" soundtrack) It's pretty mellow and upbeat and that's how I thought this chapter went!


	22. Chapter 22: When the Stars Go Blue

I know many of you have been looking forward to this chapter, so since I had some time off this afternoon, I decided to update! Look out for the Bradin-Ashley karaoke coming soon! haha

But first I want to thank my reviewers.

**Ash Riley: **Your compliment is very welcoming! I sincerely want to thank you for all your support throughout this story's life )

**angel-prncess-18: **haha Thank you! I usually just end up talking to myself when I'm writing the dialogue and put down whatever I believe a real person would say next. You can imagine what my father thinks when he hears me in the next room, talking to myself ... haha

Thank you to **JmacKarla**, **acciodanrad9**, **MissAnomaly**, and **6Ellie6** who all can't wait to see how this duet's gunna go. I hope I won't disappoint!

* * *

Chapter 22: When the Stars Go Blue

At the Red Pub Café around 7:30 p.m. a whole crowd walked in, taking a table for 10 right by the karaoke stage.

"Bradin, tell me again why you brought your whole family to our date?" Ashley asked as he pulled out a chair for her at the table.

Bradin sat next to her, held her hand, and said, "I told Aunt Ava and Johnny about your brother and then mentioned our plans for tonight and they insisted that they come along."

"Ashley, hunny," Ava said from across the table, "these past couple of weeks that you and Bradin have practically become inseparable, Johnny and I consider you now apart of the family and family are always there for one another."

"Plus," Jay piped up from down the table, "I could not miss Bradin's singing debut."

Ashley and Bradin laughed at that and the whole table joined in. When Ashley looked around the group, she didn't just see Bradin's family anymore, she was beginning to see close friends and loved ones and for the first time since her parent's divorced and Trey died, she saw a new family she was a part of. And although that scared her a little because it seemed to happen so fast, she was starting to believe that life was full of fast surprises and that she should just learn to love and accept them.

"So, which song are we singing?" Bradin asked and brought Ashley back to the task at hand. The waiter brought over the list of songs they could choose from before taking their orders, and Bradin was looking through it. Most songs he immediately crossed off, but some weren't that bad and he considered with her. Soon it came down to two; "When the Stars Go Blue" sung by Tyler Hilton and Bethany Joy Galeotti and "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. After a poll was done around the table, the obvious winner was "When the Stars Go Blue".

"Good, because I don't think I could of gotten that high anyway," Bradin said with relief as they walked on stage and began getting ready. Before them, many had gone and for lack of better word stunk. Sure, they had gotten a sympathetic hand at the end, but Bradin and Ashley did not want to make a fool out of themselves when it was all said and done.

"You'll do fine," Bradin reassured her seconds before the song started.

"God, this is gunna suck," she mumbled under her breath as the bright light hit her on stage.

"It will if you keep thinking like that," Bradin couldn't help but chuckle. "Look, it's not like this is for millions of people nationwide – it's just a karaoke bar, and there are maybe 30 people in this room; eight of which are already on our side. Are you ready?"

Ashley took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Yeah."

(**A/N: **_Italic_ will be Bradin singing and **bold** will be Ashley and _**this**_ will be both of them)

**Dancin' where the stars go blue,**

**Dancin' where the evenin' fell,**

**Dancin' in my wooden shoes,**

**In a wedding gown.**

_Dancin' out on 7__th__ street,_

_Dancin' through the underground,_

_Dancin' little marionette,_

_Are you happy now? Yeah_

_Where do you go when you're lonely?_

**Where do you go when you're blue?**

_**Where do you go when you're lonely?**_

_**I'll follow you.**_

_When the stars go blue,_

_When the stars go blue. _**Blue.**

_Laughin' with your pretty mouth. (_**Laughin' with your pretty mouth.**)

_Laughin' with your broken eyes. (_**Laughin' with your broken eyes.**)

_Laughin' with your lover's tongue._

_**In a lullaby. Yeah.**_

_**Where do you go when you're lonely?**_

_**Where do you go when you're blue?**_

_**Where do you go when you're lonely?**_

_**I'll follow you. **__Yeah._

_**Where do you go when you're lonely?**_

_**Where do you go when you're blue?**_

_**Where do you go when you're lonely?**_

_**I'll follow you. **__(Follow you) _**(Follow you)**

_**Yeah. When the stars go blue.**_

_**When the stars go blue.**_

_**When the stars go blue.**_

_**When the stars go blue.**_

_**Where do you go when you're lonely?**_

_**Where do you go when the stars go blue?**_

A rupture of applause greeted them in the end. This wasn't your sympathetic applause, either. The whole café stopped whatever they were doing during Bradin and Ashley's performance and gave them a standing ovation at the end. Ashley got rose petals thrown at her feet when Bradin ushered her forward for a small bow, and Bradin got a bunch of girl's whistles when he went forward. Ashley couldn't help but laugh at that.

When they went back to the table, they were met by a near-tears Ava and a joyous family all coming up at them at once to congratulate them both on a job well done. No one knew that they had such powerful voices! Jay joked with Bradin that if his surfing thing didn't work out, he could definitely make some money in the singing world. But Bradin thought that Ashley had been the one to stand out and he was definitely not gunna let her get by without telling her so.

So, when everyone had calmed down and got back in their seats to finish up dinner, Bradin took her hand underneath the table and told her that he wanted to tell her something.

"Oh, could you wait a moment? I was about to go to the bathroom," she apologized, already getting up.

"Yeah, sure."

Ashley quickly gave him a peck on the cheek before excusing herself and walking into the ladies' room. She needed a moment to cool down before she went back out there. Even she was surprised by the power-house performance she and Bradin had just put on. _"Who knew that I could sing that well?"_ she thought. _"And all it took was Bradin and Trey to make that come out of me."_

Ashley was fixing up her makeup in the mirror and smiling inwardly to herself at the remembrance of Trey when a voice behind her interrupted her thoughts. "That was some performance," a girl's voice commented, walking into the bathroom. A voice that sounded oddly familiar.

Ashley turned around and saw the last person she expected to see in Playa Linda again. "Michelle?" she asked, removing the lip gloss from her lips.

"Hi, Ashley," Michelle smiled in a sinister way, "so nice to see you again."

"What-What are you doing here?" Ashley faltered, shocked and confused.

"I thought I would make an appearance again," she stated. "You know, because of the anniversary and all. And I couldn't help but notice your little performance back there, so I knew that I had to say hello after all these years."

"Why are you back, Michelle?" Ashley asked with a coldness to her voice.

"My trip was over," she said simply, "and I could go home. You must remember that I live in Playa Linda."

"Why did they let you out?"

"It has been three years, Ash," Michelle stepped closer to her, "I'm all better now."

Ashley smirked, "Yeah right. I don't believe that one for a second."

"I'm telling the truth, Ash. See, I don't like to lie, unlike some people."

"And what is that-"

"Oh, c'mon, Ash. You know what I mean by that, don't play."

Ashley stiffened. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Now, if you would be so nice to move out of my way, I have to go back to my boyfriend. It's been too long and I'm sure he's wondering where I am."

Michelle let Ashley pass by her, without first calling out, "So that's the boy you sung with? He's pretty cute, Ash, congrats! I'll be sure to let him know what kind of girl he's really dating soon enough!"

"Don't you dare talk to him!" Ashley spat back, turning around. "Stay away from me and from my friends."

Then she turned back around and was about to walk out the door, when Michelle called, "We'll be in contact, then!"

Ashley groaned, flipped her off, and walked out the door. Michelle just stood there laughing. "So glad I'm back," she said with an evil smile.

* * *

Back at the table, Ashley returned and sat down next to Bradin. "What took so long?" he asked.

Ashley looked at him. At that moment, she knew that she could never tell Bradin or anyone else about Michelle and what she held over her. "Long line," she said, amazed that lying came so naturally to her again. _"Then again, I've been lying all my life,"_ she thought as Bradin just smiled and continued to eat his dinner. _"Why should it be hard now?"_ "So, you wanted to tell me something?"

"Oh yeah," Bradin smiled. He turned to her and again took her hand. "Ash, you were amazing out there, like seriously amazing. And while you were gone, Jay and I were talking, and he said that he had a friend in the music industry that he thinks would love to hear your voice! Jay said that he can call the guy tomorrow and have him set you up for an audition!"

"Really?" Ashley smiled with excitement.

"Yeah. Wouldn't that be amazing, Ash?" Bradin asked with a huge smile. Ashley was about to respond when she saw over Bradin's head Michelle smiling at her. Michelle then waved and winked and walked out of the restaurant. "Ash?"

Ashley returned to the conversation and faked a smile as best she could, "Yeah, it would be. I want you to come with me. We have to do this together."

"Of course," he said. "We can do anything together."

_"Except solve the situation at hand,"_ Ashley thought dismissively as she looked into his trusting eyes.

* * *

Song of the chapter: obviously, "When the Stars Go Blue" by Tyler Hilton and Bethany Joy Galeotti

Drama's coming! haha I told you it would! I hope this chapter did not disappoint, but don't worry – you'll get the background story on Michelle soon enough.


	23. Chapter 23: Life is a Song

A very reliable source let me know that today would be two days since my last update, and since I had nothing else to do I figured I would stick with this "every two days" updating scheme and update

A very reliable source let me know that today would be two days since my last update, and since I had nothing else to do I figured I would stick with this "every two days" updating scheme and update! haha But first I want to thank my reviewers:

**Bittersweetgurl77: **Don't worry, I believe you'll known more about Michelle in this chapter, or the next. As you may know, I write this introduction things before I write the chapter, so even I don't know how much I'll be giving to you as of right now. But it should be coming up soon!!

**6Ellie6: **haha Yes, I did use a cliffhanger, and I didn't mean to intentionally. It just sort of happened ... haha But you should know more this chapter!

**angel-prncess-18: **I hope this is soon enough for ya!

**Ash Riley: **haha Yes, I do believe I will kill Michelle off, or send her to jail. haha As of right now, though, I don't know what's coming up for her, but you never know ... evil laugh

Thank you also to **acciodanrad9**, **RavenRoyale'**, and **MissAnomaly** for your reviews! And don't worry – you will all know something more about Michelle in the upcoming chapters, whether it be this one or the next.

* * *

Chapter 23: Life is a Song

After dinner with the family, Bradin and Ashley broke off from the group to drive to Ashley's dorm for some alone time. It still surprised Bradin how cool his aunt and Johnny were being about the whole situation. He had just asked his aunt if he could go back with Ashley to end the night and Ava immediately agreed. But maybe it had something to due with the day.

"Because my Aunt Ava and especially Johnny would never encourage this," Bradin thought out-loud as he drove back to Ashley's dorm.

"Well, I'm glad to see something good has come out of this," Ashley smiled. Bradin could tell it was meant to sound sarcastic, but the way she said it, it sounded just like a normal thought. "But seriously, Bradin," she turned in the passenger seat to look at him, "I'm glad that you're here with me today. If I had just been all by myself, like it usually is, I would be halfway through my second cart of Ben & Jerry's sitting in my room alone and trying not to cry as I watch some old movie on the TV. This is a nice change of pace."

"Well, for the sake of your figure," he placed a hand on her knee, "I'm glad too that I'm here today."

Ashley smiled and turned up the radio when she heard "Life is a Song" by Patrick Park start up on the station. "Trey loved this song," she mused as she smiled and closed her eyes, taking Bradin's hand.

Bradin smiled and caught glances at her as she softly sung some of the lyrics.

_There's no telling where we'll be in a day or in a week_

_And there's no promises of peace or happiness_

_Well is this why you cling to every little thing_

_And pulverize and derange all your senses_

_Maybe life is a song but you're scared to sing along_

_Until the very ending_

_Oh, it's time to let go of everything we used to know_

_Ideas that strengthen who we've been_

_It's time to cut ties that won't ever free our minds_

_From the chains and shackles that they're in_

_Oh, tell me what good is saying that you're free_

_In a dark and storming sea_

_You're chained to your history, you're surely sinking fast_

_You say that you know that the good Lord's in control_

_He's gunna bless and keep your tired and oh so restless soul_

_But at the end of the day when every price has been paid_

_You're gunna rise and sit beside him on some old seat of gold_

_And won't you tell me why you live like you're afraid to die_

_You'll die like you're afraid to go_

_Oh, it's time to let go of everything we used to know_

_Ideals that strengthen who we've been_

_It's time to cut ties that won't ever free our minds_

_From chains and shackles that they're in_

_From the chains and shackles that they're in_

Ashley stopped singing and suddenly became all-too aware that Bradin was listening to her. And even though they had just sang together not an hour before, she was still self-conscious when it was just him listening to her.

Bradin looked over, realizing that she had stiffened during a break in the words. "C'mon, it's just me."

"I know, that's what scares me," Ashley said lowly.

"Please? I love you're voice, Ash," Bradin said.

Ashley took a breath and quickly picked up the song:

_Well life is a dream 'cause we're all walking in our sleep_

_You could see us stand us in lines like we're dead upon our feet_

_And we build our house of cards and then we wait for it to fall_

_Always forget how strange it is just to be alive at all_

Then, Bradin pulled into the college parking lot and Ashley could feel a tear fall down her cheek. She rarely cried, but when she did it was usually about Trey. That song brought all her old emotions back and as much as she tried to hold her tears in, she couldn't and when Bradin turned off the car she broke down.

He immediately unbuckled his seat belt and moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her as she lunged for his neck, burying her face in his t-shirt. After a while, since the radio was still on and the song was on repeat, Bradin turned it off to get her off the memory of her brother. But when she was in the silence, she stopped crying and turned the radio back on so the song continued to play.

"I miss him a lot," Ashley sniffed. "This song's the only thing close I have of him."

Bradin understood and began to stroke her hair as she continued to cry in his arms all the while the song played over and over again in the background.

* * *

About an hour later, Ashley and Bradin were sitting inside her dorm on her bed. Ashley had calmed down, taken a shower, and changed into flannel PJs. Bradin had to change his t-shirt, as it was soaking wet after Ashley had cried on it for a good 45 minutes. Luckily, he kept some clothes in her closet so whenever he slept over he had clothes to change into in the morning.

Ashley was lying on her side on her bed and Bradin was lying right next to her so they could talk. Ashley felt like she had to apologize for her outburst in the car. "I usually don't do something like that, and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"For what?" Bradin was confused. "For missing your brother on the anniversary of his death? I think today and every other day you're entitled to cry."

"But I normally don't," she pressed.

"Ash, even I cry sometimes when I think about my parents," he whispered to her, moving closer. "Me, Nikki, and Derrick always cry together on their anniversary. For that I have them and my aunt. And for this, you have me. I want you to let your emotions out."

"You know, I didn't even cry at his funeral," Ashley thought, more to herself. "I guess I was in shock all these years, that he's actually gone. But for some reason, this year it hit me." _"Maybe Michelle all of a sudden showing up has something to do with that,"_ she thought with a frown.

"Ash, are you okay? I just have this feeling that you're not telling me something," Bradin looked deep into her eyes.

_"I can't tell him. There's no way I can bring him into this,"_ her mind was telling her. But her heart told her that she should confide in him, that he was trustful, and that he loved her; he would never think badly about her. _"But this is just too much, I can't do it."_

"There's nothing, Bradin," she finally said. "I'm just thinking about tomorrow's audition."

Even though Bradin could tell that there was something else on Ashley's mind, he decided not to push her and just change the subject. He smiled and took her hand, "You're gunna do fine. But you know the plan, right?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you and Jay at the studio around 3:30 and then the client's coming in for 4. But do we have any idea what the song is gunna be?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. When Jay called earlier, he said that you could just pick a recent hit with an ability to show off your best singing talent. And of course to that I said that any song could do that," Bradin laughed and Ashley smiled, trying to forget Michelle for one night.

"Then, what song do you suggest?" she asked as she got up, walked over to her laptop, and pulled up her itunes. After a few minutes of searching through her "Female Songs", they both went with "Crush" by Mandy Moore.

"You definitely have the cute, little voice for that one," Bradin smiled.

"Little voice?" Ashley said, turning around and pretending to give him a dirty look.

"Oh, is that supposed to scare me? Because, Ash, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't."

Ashley smiled. "Well, you make it very hard to be mad when you're looking that cute. You don't have to be home tonight, do you?"

Bradin smiled, knowing where this was heading. "My aunt said that if it's gunna go late, just to stay over. And," he looked at her bedside table, where there was a clock, "I think 10:30 is late enough." He walked to the bed and turned around, facing her where she was shutting down her computer. "C'mere."

Ashley pushed in her chair and was walking over to him when suddenly her cell phone rang with a text message. She sighed and went over to get it.

"Just leave it," Bradin wined.

"Hold on; I'll be two seconds." She opened her phone to reveal she had a message from an unknown number. Curious, she opened the message and immediately got angry when she read, "just thought u might wanna kno … ur bro died this hour 3 yrs ago. have to meet 4 lunch soon! xoxo, M"

_"Who the hell does she think she is?!"_ Ashley thought with fury.

"Is everything okay, Ash?" Bradin asked from the bed.

_"I have to release this stress somehow, right?"_ "You. Me. Sex. Now!" Then she through Bradin down on the bed and started kissing him ferociously.

"Woah, woah," Bradin tried to slow her down. But he couldn't help but laugh. He had never seen Ashley like this before, and he was trying to decide if this more aggressive manner was a bigger turn-on or not. "What's with the aggression?"

But Ashley didn't listen. She began to unclothe him by pulling off his t-shirt and unbuckling his pants. She even undid the buttons on her flannel tee, making Bradin forget about his worries as he stared at her naked chest.

"Do you want to do it or not?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah!" he said as she began kissing him again.

* * *

Okay, so NEXT chapter I will definitely let you know what's up with Michelle. So look out for that!

Song of the chapter: "Life is a Song" by Patrick Park (I thought of it after learning that it was the last song on The OC – one of my fave TV shows)


	24. Chapter 24: Since U Been Gone

I think it's been two days, right? Oh, who cares! haha I'm updating now whether you like it or not! But hopefully, most will like this because I am going to give you some insight on Michelle in this chapter through more discussions with Ashley. So let me just take a few minutes to send out some love to my awesome reviewers ... and then we'll get going!

**angel-prncess-18: **Well, thank you for the kind words and I'm glad you liked the dialogue! I personally was a little on the fence about the "You. Me. Sex. Now!" phrase but I'm glad to see that you enjoyed it!

**Ash Riley: **Glad to hear you like the plot so far, considering I mostly make this stuff up as I write. haha Oh, and I did get the email (just thought you should know in case I don't respond right away, you can read it on here too) and I will write back as soon as I get the chance!

Thank you also to **6Ellie6**, **Bittersweetgurl77**, and **acciodanrad9** for your time!

Here we go!

* * *

Chapter 24: Since U Been Gone

Ashley couldn't believe she was actually doing this; having lunch with Michelle, Trey's psychotic ex-girlfriend. Never in a million years would she be going to see her if she didn't have to tell her to leave her the fuck alone. And, as Ashley pulled up to the outdoor café where they had decided to meet, she saw Michelle already sitting in one of the tables, looking in the mirror and fixing up her make-up. Just the sight of Michelle turned her insides around and made her sick to her stomach.

As she approached, Michelle looked up and smiled a sly and obviously fake to Ashley smile. "I'm so happy that you decided to take me up on my offer," Michelle said as she stood and obviously wanted a hug. But Ashley just sat down in the chair opposite hers and began looking at the menu. Michelle sat back down and fixed her skirt.

"Have a hot date later?" Ashley asked from behind the menu.

Michelle laughed, "No, why would you say that?"

"You obviously weren't fixing your make-up and smoothing your skirt for my benefit," Ashley put down the menu and glared at Michelle.

Michelle gave her another sly smile as she looked at her menu. "I never could hide anything from you."

"Exactly. What do you want, Michelle?"

"Just to catch up with an old friend," Michelle answered innocently.

"Enough of the crap," Ashley said. "We were never 'friends' and you know it. Now just answer my damn question so I can leave and go back to pretending you don't exist. It's worked out pretty good for me so far."

"My, my, my," Michelle said, "someone's feisty today! Problems with Bradin?"

"How do you know his name?" Ashley asked.

"I have my sources," Michelle smiled. "Besides, who in this town does not know the famous Bradin Westerly? Parents died two years ago, was adopted by his aunt and her friends, lost his virginity to a girl named Sara, was seeing his surfing coach, Erica, in between dating Callie and almost ODing on steroids. Does that pretty much cover it? Oh, wait, I think I forgot that he's currently dating you and is finally in love. Aw, how adorable!"

Ashley just stared in shock as Michelle gave her the Reader's Digest version of Bradin's life. "How the fuck do you know all of that?"

"Sources, honey! Sources. But I bet Bradin doesn't know half the stuff in your life."

"And why do you think that?"

"Okay, maybe he does. Maybe I should just ask him if he knows your secret?" Michelle smiled evilly.

"I don't have any secrets from him," Ashley tried to say without faltering.

"Is that so?"

Ashley didn't say anything, but just looked into Michelle's eyes knowing full well that there was something that Bradin didn't know, that he probably should know, about her past. "What do you want, Michelle? Why bring all this up?"

"Justice, Ash. For Trey."

"You didn't give a shit about him while he was here!"

"I loved him!" Michelle defended.

"You were cheating on him through most of your relationship! And Trey didn't know anything about it. I could've told him, but you swore that things would change."

"You also could've saved him, Ash," she said lowly. "But didn't he also swear that he would change?"

"Shut up," Ashley said coldly as she felt tears sting her eyes.

"You can't save people from themselves, Ash. But I'm here to tell everyone you know and care about what you did, what you have been hiding all these years. Because, Ash, you could have saved him."

At that moment, a waiter came to their table and asked if they were ready to order. Michelle smiled at him and gave him her order, then waited for Ashley to do the same. "Aren't you hungry, Ash?" When she still didn't say anything, and the waiter was still standing there, Michelle ordered for her.

"What do I have to do to make this go away?" Ashley asked without emotion when the waiter was gone.

"Just do what I say and I won't tell anyone," Michelle said.

"For how long?"

"Until I say it's enough," she smiled. "Deal?" Ashley didn't say anything. "Are we cool, Ash?"

"Cool," she eventually said.

"Cool," Michelle smiled. "Now, let me tell you about how fun my trip was."

* * *

An hour and a half listening to Michelle drone on and on about her time away from Playa Linda and not having any way to stop it drove Ashley crazy. When Michelle eventually let her leave for her recording time, Ashley was relieved and also pissed. How could she let Michelle get under her skin and blackmail her like that? Even though her secret was bad, was it really worth doing Michelle's bidding until she decided that it was done?

_"But what else am I supposed to do?"_ Ashley thought as she drove to the studio to meet up with Bradin and Jay. _"I can't tell Bradin … at least, not yet."_

Ashley sighed and just put the radio on, letting the powerful ballad of Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" relieve her of her stress.

_"That's it!"_

When Ashley made it to the studio around 3:45 after having stopped back at her dorm for a CD, Bradin was waiting for her in the hallway.

"Hey, Ash! What took you so long?" he hurriedly rushed her into the studio where Jay was sitting.

"Sorry, I lost track of time, and there was a lot of traffic on the highway," Ashley lied.

"It's okay, you're here now and we really have to let you practice before Joe shows up," Jay said.

"Joe Rainy?" Bradin asked. "The famous music producer? You got him, Jay?"

"Yeah, he's the friend I was telling you about. But enough talk – Ashley you go by the mic and I'll load in your CD."

"Oh, here. I changed the song," she pulled out Kelly Clarkson's _Breakaway_ CD.

"You did?" Bradin asked.

"Yeah. I was thinking about it last night, and-"

"Okay, no explanation needed right now! Let's just practice, because Joe-"

"Hey there, Jay!" a middle-aged man in a business suit walked into the room. "Hope I'm not early!"

"-is here. Perfect," he said under his breath. "No, Joe, for you we have been ready for a while now. Can I take your coat?"

"No, I don't have much time. I just came to hear the girl sing once and then I must be to a meeting. So, are we all set up here?"

Ashley looked from Bradin to Jay with a look of panic before Bradin took her hand and said, "Yes, Mr. Rainy. She's ready. This is Ashley Danes, your newest talent."

"Bradin!" Ashley whispered as he led her into the mic room. "I can't do it, I only sang the song once when it was on the radio."

"Ash, remember when I told you yesterday before karaoke; this isn't for millions of people nationwide, it's just one man. One very important man, but one man nonetheless."

Ashley smiled. "I think I got it, Brae."

She stepped into the room, Bradin closed the door, she put on the headphones so she could hear the song, and when Jay pressed the button and gave her a thumbs-up, she began to sing.

_Here's the thing_

_We started out friends_

_It was cool, but it was all pretend_

_Yeah, yeah, since you been gone_

_You're dedicated, you took the time_

_Wasn't long till I called you mine_

_Yeah, yeah, since you been gone_

_And all you'd ever hear me say_

_Is how I picture me with you_

_That's all you'd ever hear me say_

_But since you been gone_

_I can breathe for the first time_

_I'm so movin' on, yeah, yeah_

_Thanks to you, now I get what I want_

_Since you been gone_

_How can I put it, you put me on_

_I even fell for that stupid love song_

_Yeah, yeah, since you been gone_

_How come I'd never hear you say_

_I just wannna be with you_

_Guess you never felt that way_

_But since you been gone_

_I can breathe for the first time_

_I'm so movin' on, yeah, yeah_

_Thanks to you, I get what I want_

_Since you been gone_

_You had your chance, you blew it_

_Out of sight, out of mind_

_Shut your mouth, I just can't take it_

_Again and again and again and again_

During the small break in the song, Joe signaled Jay to stop the music and Jay told Ashley to rejoin them in the studio.

"I'm sorry, Joe," Jay immediately said, "the girl was not prepared today, but if you come back-"

"Jay! No, no! I thought the girl was simply fantastic!" Joe exclaimed. He walked over to Ashley. "You, Ms. Danes, have a real future in the music industry. I really must go now, but I want you to have this," he gave her a card from his coat pocket, "and on Monday call this number and I'll have my secretary set you up with a meeting with me so we can discuss further. It has been a real pleasure."

When Joe walked out the door, Ashley stood in shock holding the business card. Bradin picked her up and that brought her out of her shell. He spun her around, saying how proud he was of her. When he set her down, they kissed and Ashley couldn't help but put her hands in his hair to deepen it. She had been craving for one of Bradin's kisses ever since she had sat down with Michelle earlier. She could always count on them to make her feel better.

"Ashley, I am so proud of you!" Jay said. "I had no idea you had that in you! Such a powerful song, too!"

"Yeah, Ash," Bradin pulled away slightly, "that was really amazing. Seeing you hit all those high notes …" he trailed off and whispered in her ear, "really turned me on."

Ashley smiled and began kissing him again.

Jay turned away, clearly uncomfortable. "Well, uh … how about you two meet us for dinner at the house around 5:30 and we can talk more then. I'll catch you later."

When he walked out of the room, Bradin and Ashley started cracking up at how uncomfortable they had just made him. "I guess we should get going," Ashley said, feeling a lot better now that she was with Bradin again.

"We did book this studio until 4:30," Bradin said, walking her towards a couch. "I mean, we might as well make good use of it."

Ashley smiled and said, "You're right, wouldn't want the money to go to waste." Bradin pulled her onto the couch and he got on top of her, kissing her and Ashley couldn't help but smile into his kisses as he put a hand under her shirt.

* * *

Okay, I was gunna put a big talk between Bradin and Ashley in this chapter, but decided it was long enough. So look out for that next chapter!

Song of the chapter: "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson This should be the end of the random songs in chapters. Fun while it lasted right?


	25. Chapter 25: Sounds of Silence

Sorry about the small delay today; I had to work. sigh, moan But I promised that I would update in two days, and I believe that is today. Besides, I have to do something to waste a few hours until Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods comes on MTV tonight. haha And I have been dying to write this conversation between Bradin and Ashley!

**JmacKarla: **Thank you for the kind words! And I think you are the only person I know who likes Michelle. haha Thanks for standing out!

**acciodanrad9: **Don't worry – he will find out this chapter! I couldn't stand to have him not know for much longer!! haha

**Ash Riley: **Oh yes! haha When you mentioned that, I had to go back and check my review number (135). I'll be sure to make another "double chapter" when I hit 150! And you never know, maybe Michelle will get offed and not just sent to jail. haha

Thank you to **6Ellie6** and **Bittersweetgurlismylife77** (wow, talk about long name!) for your reviews also!

Now, the moment you have all been waiting for: Ashley reveals her secret!

* * *

Chapter 25: Sounds of Silence

Ashley and Bradin made it back to his house for dinner with the family at exactly 5:15, so they had a little time before Ava announced dinner to be ready. In the Gregory-Durant-Robertson-Rexford family, breakfast and dinner were always held on time. Ava made that executive decision the very first day the kids were there, deciding that they needed something stable in their lives. And, although it was only supposed to last until the kids got settled the first month or so, everyone got so used to it that it had become a tradition.

"That's so cute," Ashley smiled when Bradin finished explaining the meal arrangements.

"You're so cute," Bradin said with a laugh as he took her hand and brought her closer to him on the couch.

"No, I really think that's very sweet," Ashley insisted. "Your aunt and Johnny and everybody have sacrificed so much for you guys without any hesitation. I only wish that my family could be half as … Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the mood down, yet again. I guess I have a habit of doing that?"

Bradin didn't want to say she did in fact tend to bring down the happy atmosphere in his house when they talked about such things, so instead he just smiled and said, "You're a part of this family now, too, remember?"

Ashley smiled and snuggled closer to Bradin, resting her head on his shoulder, "I know. And that means the world to me."

Bradin and Ashley just sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. It was so nice to Bradin to finally be able to just do the most mundane things with a girlfriend, like sit together in the quiet or go to baseball games without any drama getting in and disrupting the moment. As if on cue, Ashley's cell phone rang with the dial of a text message arrival.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she reached into her mini jean skirt pocket to retrieve the phone. She opened the phone, but before she pressed anything to read the message she turned down the volume to vibrate so as to not interrupt the dinner. Then, she went back to her new text message and slightly stiffened when she recognized Michelle's caller ID. Without saying a word to Bradin, she opened the message and read: lunch was SO fun, A! i'm SO glad u agreed 2 the plan 2! tht way, it'll b easier 2 hit on ur hot bf 2morrow, w/ u not being able 2 say a word! xoxo, M

Ashley glared at the message on her phone, before angrily shutting it and throwing it back on the couch.

Bradin noticed her reaction to whatever the message said and asked, "Is everything okay, Ash?"

Ashley thought a moment before responding, but ultimately decided that it would be much easier to lie to him than tell the truth, so she said, "Yeah. I just got a head's up on a surprise test tomorrow from a friend."

"Well, at least you know about it before hand," Bradin offered, trying to calm her obvious pissed off mood. "Do you need to go back to study?"

"No!" _"Calm down, Ash,"_ she told herself at her sudden outburst. "I'll be fine," she reassured him, looking into his eyes. "I just need to study when I get back. But I'll have to eat anyway, right? Might as well do it with the people I love than myself."

Bradin smiled and kissed her softly on her forehead just as Ava announced that dinner was ready.

* * *

Bradin knew that Ashley was stressed out from school and the new pressure of having an agent and having to call him the next day to set up a meeting, but he didn't think that just that caused Ashley's sadness. _"There has to be something she's not telling me,"_ he thought as he yet again watched Ashley stealthily reach into her pocket under the table and pull out her cell phone, to read a text message and clench her jaw as she angrily wrote back. No one else seemed to notice, all caught up on their own issues this week. For the most part though, Ashley was a great liar. For, if Johnny or Jay asked her a question about school or the nerve-wracking experience of signing in front of a music producer for the first time, she would look up and answer their question with the normalcy as if she wasn't obviously upset inside. That, though, made Bradin question if she was lying to him as expertly.

After dinner and the congratulatory dessert for Ashley, Bradin asked if he could talk to her alone in his room. Ashley smiled and accepted, obviously thinking that he wanted to get in some action before she had to go back. So it was a surprise to her, when Bradin closed the door behind them and did not lock it like he would usually have. She sat on his bed and watched as he paced back and forth in the room.

A few minutes later of him doing this, and Ashley just had to ask what was wrong. "Do you mind not doing that? You're kind of making me nervous over here."

Finally, Bradin couldn't take it any longer. He just had to know. "Is there something going on, Ash? Something that I should know about?"

Her smile faltered for a second, until it came back with a hint of confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw you all during dinner, sending text messages back and forth. And you didn't seem all that happy."

"I'm sorry, but I-"

"Ashley, please don't deny it. I just wanna know if you're in trouble, okay, and if I can help in any way." Bradin stopped walking and was sitting on the opposite bed.

Ashley seemed to end her pretend 'everything-is-okay' stick and looked down at her hands in her lap. "You can't help me," she mumbled.

"Maybe I can," Bradin leaned forward and put a hand on her knee. "Can you at least tell me what's going on? I promise that we can solve the problem together."

"God, Bradin, sound like an after-school special, much?" she said sarcastically.

"Excuse me for trying to help my girlfriend," he pulled back. But then, he stopped himself from becoming mad and tried again. "I love you, Ash, I want you to open up to me. That's what we do."

"I can't," Ashley said, looking him in the eye. "You can't know this. I don't want to bring you into this."

"I'm already in it, babe, because I'm already on your side," Bradin looked deep into her eyes. "You can tell me anything and I promise that I will be 100 percent on your side."

Ashley took a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing for the stall to think, really think. She knew that Bradin would always be there for her, and that he would accept this and understand, but there was still that little voice inside her head telling her that he would hate her forever if she told and not be able to look her in the eye again.

"Can you lock the door?" she asked meekly.

"Yes," Bradin half smiled as he locked both doors leading into his room.

When he sat back down next to her, he held her hand as she began. "Trey was a sophomore at USC when he met Michelle, at that time a freshman. They started dating – this was before he started using – and I guess became close enough that he brought her back home for Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. I met her then and she seemed nice, although I didn't know a lot about her then. After New Year's Trey was having a hard time learning this one trick on the water, and that's when he broke his ankle and became addicted to the pain killers. Michelle didn't know much about this, though. It wasn't until he was sent to rehab that she started coming around less and less, maybe once a week if anything. She told me that it was hard seeing him in a place like that, and I could sympathize so I didn't think much about it, since she obviously still cared for him deeply, maybe even loved him, I'm not sure.

"Anyway, one day I was having lunch with a friend and I saw something I wanted in a store so I walked into the store and looked at it on the mannequin. Well, I saw who I thought was Michelle sitting with another guy across the way so I decided to walk out and say 'hi'. Turned out that 'the guy' was something more, because when I got a closer look she was making out with him, and he obviously wasn't Trey. I knew they hadn't broken up, so it was obvious she was cheating on him. With more than one guy I learned after, but that's beside the point. I confronted her about it the next day when she came to visit Trey in rehab and she started apologizing, crying, you know all that crap. She said she was just confused and didn't know what was going on with her and Trey and it had been a while, but it was an accident and she swore she would change. I didn't believe her that much, but didn't want us fighting to get away from Trey so I just accepted it and moved on.

"So, time went on and Trey was released because everyone thought he had learned his lesson and changed. But, that wasn't the case …" she trailed off and her eyes took on a glassy tone as she couldn't help but think back to that time. "I have something to confess to you, Bradin. Something that I have never told anyone else. I knew that Trey was using again, after he came back and everyone thought he was fine. He wasn't – he had just become a really great liar. I know this, because I saw him one night. It was at a party on the beach during a weekend of his junior year. I saw him just take all these pills and wash them down with water, but I didn't say anything. At the time I guess I just thought that he would stop, without anyone's help. I just couldn't believe it; whenever I saw him after that and he looked a little weird, he would just say that he was sick and I would believe him. I guess I didn't want to think such a thing about my older brother. So, after he passed, I just broke down. I was in shock, but more so than the family because I could see it coming for months and I just didn't say anything."

She stopped for a second to catch her breath and wipe the tears that had formed in her eyes away before they could make their way down her cheeks. Bradin didn't say anything, for he could tell there was more. He just stroked her back as she caught her breath and continued.

"Michelle didn't take his passing that well. She was severely depressed and acting out all the time. Her parents had to send her away for a while for her to recoup, some treatment place in Utah. But before she left, she told me that she knew – that she knew everything. My parents thought that she was just crazy and didn't pay any attention to her, but I knew what she meant. For some reason, and I still don't know how she knows today, she found out that I knew about Trey using again before he died. She told me that she would never be able to forgive me and that she hated me for killing her boyfriend, the love of her life. She never loved him, and he never loved her; he would've told me and she was just a psycho.

"But anyway, a few days ago she got in contact with me. I guess they released her from her treatment, claiming that she is all better now. She lives in Playa Linda, so she came back home and started sending me these threatening text messages. That's who I was texting during dinner and all this time. I met her today for lunch, before the audition – I wasn't stuck in traffic on the highway. I hoped to finally tell her to back off and leave me the hell alone once and for all, but she had other plans. She told me that unless I do whatever she says, that she'll tell you all about my knowing about Trey, my 'secret' for lack of a better word."

"But you told me about it," Bradin interrupted. "What can she do now?"

"I'm hoping nothing. It's not like she can tell anyone else and they'll care. That's why I had to tell you. I just couldn't stand lying to you anymore."

"Well, I hate too say this, but you were very good at it," he said.

"I probably got it from Trey," Ashley said with a shrug. "Figures I'd get the messed up trait and not the surf queen one. But, you have to know something else."

"Oh, God," Bradin groaned. "What more?"

"It's nothing else about me. It's just that … when Michelle talked about you, she seemed to know a lot. Like, you're whole background actually. And I have no idea how, because like I said she's been packed away for the past three years. She said she had 'sources', whatever that means."

"Yeah, I'm not sure," Bradin said as he put an arm around her shoulders. "I'm glad you told me all that, Ashley. And like I said before, I'm completely on your side."

"For some reason I knew that you would always be," she said, putting her head on his arm. "I just wasn't sure … And I didn't want to jeopardize our relationship over something that happened so long ago."

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Bradin smiled and kissed her softly on her forehead. "Next time Michelle shows up, tell her that your loving and understanding boyfriend understands everything and loves you even more now that you let me in."

Ashley smiled and took her head off his arm, looking into his eyes. "I'll be sure to do that."

* * *

Satisfied? You know the secret. But, fear not, for that is not the last of the drama. It's just heating up in Playa Linda for Bradin and Ashley!

Song of the chapter: "Sounds of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel


	26. Chapter 26: I Don't Think So

Another update

Another update! I wanna get right to the drama, so let me just take a few moments to thank my reviewers ... and then we can start!

**acciodanrad9: **You can bet everything that Michelle is still gunna start some drama!! haha And it'll be all in this chapter.

**angel-prncess-18: **Well, thank you for reviewing last chapter! And I know that I update quite a lot, but I bet none of you mind. haha It should actually slow down a little bit in the next coming weeks because I'll be on vacation, but I'll be sure to pick up ASAP right after that!

Thank you also **Ash Riley**, **JmacKarla**, **6Ellie6**, and **SummerBreezeGurl77** (love the name by the way!).

* * *

Chapter 26: I Don't Think So

The following day, Ashley walked around PLS with her head held high and her spirits in a good mood probably the first time in a while since Michelle showed up. She was relieved that she told Bradin her secret and that he took it in and accepted it, and had not gotten mad or upset like the little voice in her head had told her he would.

She was so excited for 4:00 to roll around, because right after her Physics class she would drive over to Two Brothers and meet up with Bradin after his surf practice. Ashley, as much as she loved the idea of surfing and becoming "one with the ocean", as Jay had put it, realized after the second time that Bradin tried to get her on a board that she was more the watcher of surfing and not the actual surfer. Bradin tried his best, but at the end of the day even he admitted that she looked much better watching and cheering him on from the sand.

So, because she wanted to look her best for him and that her boring jeans and a t-shirt were a little too drab for such a wonderful day, she stopped off in her room before she left around 4:15 to change into something more appealing. She decided on short jean shorts and a plain white wife-beater with brown flip flops and her hair down and natural before she headed out, prepared to give Bradin the best kiss of his life the second she saw him.

* * *

Shortly after surf practice for the day, Coach Preston talked to the team for a little bit and then let them go home. Bradin walked over to his stuff, surf board in hand, looking around for Ashley as she said she would meet him but saw her nowhere. He put down his board and grabbed a towel right before his cell phone rang, signaling that he received a text message. "running late – MAJOR traffic on the streets!! save a kiss 4 me ur house?" Ashley texted him.

Bradin smiled and quickly replied, "will save u more than tht … meet me in the backyard, by the showers," with a cute winking face before laughing and heading off in the direction of his house.

Bradin was a few feet away from his house when he heard someone calling his name behind him. He turned around and saw a girl running towards him; a girl definitely not Ashley. She had long blonde hair, almost bleach blonde compared to Ashley's dirty blonde, and wore a short denim skirt and barely-there tee. She ran up to him and started laughing as soon as he turned around and looked at her.

"Jeeze, you walk fast," she said, stopping to catch her breath.

"Um, I'm sorry. Do I know you?" he asked, clearly confused.

The girl simply smiled. "No, but I know you. You're Bradin Westerly, right?"

"Yeah …"

"Hi, I'm Michelle," Michelle extended her hand.

Bradin took a step back. _"This is the girl that Ash was talking about,"_ his mind registered and instantly he went into defense mode. "What do you want, Michelle?"

She retracted her hand, seeming a little offended. "So, no greeting then. I guess Ashley told you about me?"

"Yeah, she let me know about you so that I could avoid you. So, if you would be so kind," he gestured for her to walk away.

But Michelle just stepped closer. "Bradin, I'm not quite sure what she told you about me, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm not the uber-bitch she might have made me out to be."

"Is that so?" he crossed his arms around his chest.

"Yeah. I really did love Trey, and his death I took very tragically. I'm still trying to deal with it, I guess."

"Save me the sob story, Michelle," Bradin said. "Ashley already told me all about your psychotic ways."

"Psychotic? Really?" Michelle laughed. "I'm impressed; she seems to have grown a backbone while I was away."

"Where were you exactly?" Bradin asked. "And how the hell do you know so much about me?"

Michelle smiled. "I was in a treatment facility, rooming with an … interesting girl. She told me a lot about you, and we became close friends."

"Sara," Bradin said, void of emotion. He couldn't believe that things had truly become full-circle.

"She sends her love," Michelle smiled. "Sad story between you two, though. She told me all about it."

"So that's your 'source'?"

"She says that she's still in love with you, you know," Michelle stepped closer so they were only a couple feet apart. Bradin was half-wearing his wet suit, so she tugged on the bottom half that hung from his waist. "Says that she always will be."

"Well, now I know that's a lie. Sara was never remotely attached to me. She just wanted me because she knew that I didn't want her."

"Well, could you blame a girl?" Michelle stepped closer and moved her hand to his abs and then up his arms. "You're a stud, Mr. Westerly."

Bradin smiled and backed away, leaving her hanging onto thin air. "And you're a weirdo, Michelle. I know what your plan is; you learned a lot from Sara."

"And what would that be?"

"It doesn't matter, because it's not going to work. Ashley is on her way to meet me right now and I can assure you that I am 100 percent committed to her. There is nothing you can say or do to change my mind."

"I'll bet there's a couple things I could try …" Michelle said with a flirty smile as she began to closer to him. He backed up to the outside shower, then stopped. "No where left to run to?"

"No, I see Ashley coming now," he looked above her head and saw Ashley walking to him. Her face quickly turned from happy and content to shocked and pissed off when Michelle turned around and smiled at her, giving her a little wave as she looked back at Bradin.

"I can see I'm interrupting something," she said, "so I'll go. But we'll talk later, okay, Bradin?" Then, she continued to walk down the beach.

Ashley walked up to him and said, "What the fuck was she doing here?"

"Just making a complete dumb-ass out of herself," he said. "Don't worry – now that I met her in person, I definitely am on your side."

"Good," Ashley tried her best to smile. Then, remembering what she was going to do before the little run-in with Michelle, Ashley pushed her face against his and gave him the best kiss of his life.

* * *

Sorry it was so short, but I wanted to break it up from the next chapter where some serious shit is gunna go down! haha Can you wait? Well, we'll see ...

Song of the chapter: "I Don't Think So" by Priscilla Ahn (I thought it would work because Bradin basically said that to Michelle's lame attempt to come onto him.)


	27. Chapter 27: Kiss on Me

Sorry I haven't updated in a while ... I'm trying to get ready for my vacation. I'm not sure if I'll update again before Saturday (when I'm leaving), but I'll try my best to give you at least a little something because then you'll be without this story for a whole two weeks!! And I know y'all couldn't go that long without reading a new chapter, right? haha That's what I thought.

**SummerBreezeGurl77: **Thank you for the wonderful message! I'm so glad I checked my email just now! haha Oh, and I would expect a little fight between M and A maybe this chapter? haha wink, wink nudge nudge And sure, I'll check out your story. I didn't know you had one, actually. I mostly just come on here when I'm really bored (which is like never), but I'll check it out after I'm done updating this. (Shia TOTAL hottie and I'm SO glad I have someone else to share that with!)

**angel-prncess-18: **OMG, thank you! Top 3, really?? That's so kind of you! I hope I won't disappoint in this chapter.

**JmacKarla: **Thanks! I'll try! haha Because I think I will be busy like 25/7. haha

Thank you also to **Ash Riley**, **acciodanrad9**, and **6Ellie6** for your kind words! I'm really glad many of you love that I brought Sara back in here, but I don't think I'll mention her that much more. I just had to make that connection, so it doesn't seem that Michelle isn't a total stalker of Bradin. haha

* * *

Chapter 27: Kiss on Me

"Are you busy tonight?" Bradin asked Ashley over the phone.

"No … Do you have plans for us, Mr. Westerly?" Ashley asked with a grin as she pulled her car into the dorm's parking lot.

"I may have mentioned to some friends that my older and super hot girlfriend would make an appearance at a house party tonight," Bradin said, wincing and waiting for the protests that a high school house party was not something that a college girl like Ashley would like to spend her time on a Friday night. But surprisingly, he heard none of that.

"Will there be alcohol there?" she asked.

"Yes … It's at the surf house."

"What time?" Ashley asked with a smile. "I got another text from you-know-who today and I would like to very much blow off steam," she explained, because she knew that Bradin expected an argument.

"What'd she say this time?" Bradin asked with a groan. Michelle's nasty text messages were becoming a daily thing for poor Ashley ever since he had talked to her in person a few days earlier. Bradin swore to himself the next time he would see her, he would tell her to leave Ashley alone. Even though she made a mistake, Ashley already paid the consequences of Trey's death and Bradin strongly felt that she didn't deserve to be bullied by this psycho girl.

"Just that she's watching out for me and plans to see me again soon," Ashley said as she turned off her car and sat in silence. "I'm just tired of getting these things. I own nothing to Michelle, whatever I say won't fix the fact that Trey's gone, but she just won't leave me alone!"

"I know, baby," Bradin tried to sooth her as best he could over the phone. He was walking into the back entrance of his room and sat down on his bed. "I've got an idea; you get smashed. Tonight, at the party."

Ashley laughed. "You think that'll help?"

"A few hours with me at the party, drinking away thoughts of Mi- sorry, you-know-who, then an after party at my house …" he smiled, although she couldn't see it. "No one's gunna be home tonight, and I thought you could sleep over."

"As long as there won't be any sleeping going on …" she smiled. "I'm in. But, oh wait!"

"What?"

"I called Mr. Rainy on Monday, like he said, and I have to meet with him and some of his associates tomorrow morning."

"A Saturday morning?"

"I explained to him that I have a very tight class schedule during the week, so he suggested it. It's not until 10 o'clock, though, so do you wanna come with me?"

"Yeah, definitely," Bradin said. "We can have breakfast together at Mona's?"

"Sounds perfect," Ashley smiled. "What time should I meet you tonight?"

"Around 8:30?" he said. "Meet me on the beach so we can watch the sunset together."

Ashley laughed. "You are such a romantic, Bradin! That's one of the things I love so much about you."

"I love everything about you," Bradin said in a loud whisper. "I'll see you tonight."

After he hung up, he immediately got a text message. Thinking it was from Ashley, he opened it and started to read it, but then saw that it was from Michelle instead. "can't wait 2 c u 2night! we'll have 2 pick up where we left off b4 … xoxo, M"

_"Where the fuck did she get my number? And how does she know about the party tonight?"_ he thought as he quickly snapped his phone shut. _"Obviously, I can't tell Ashley about this. I guess I can deal with Michelle before Ashley shows up."_

* * *

Bradin walked up to the unofficial "surf house" around 8:00, hoping to hang with a few friends before Ashley showed up. For it being not that late into the party, Bradin was slightly surprised at the amount of bodies around the house and already flooding the inside. He had been to the surf house only a couple times before, but it seemed to him that this was the type of "house" that was never empty.

The surf house was a popular hang out and dwelling of the surfers Bradin knew that had already graduated and were on the circuit, but not that popular. Sure, they had fans and a contract, but they weren't to the level of Bryce Morse (**A/N: **Do any of you recall if Bryce from the show had a last name? Otherwise, I'll just use Morse.), a rising pro-surfer that spent most of his downtime in the house. No one was really sure of who actually owned the "house", but everyone seemed to gravitate there whenever a surf party was mentioned.

"Bradin, my man!" Bryce greeted Bradin when he stepped inside the house. "Glad you could make it! I've been meaning to talk to you, bro."

"Yeah?" Bradin asked as they shook hands. Bryce immediately grabbed him a beer in a plastic cup, and Bradin accepted it. "What about?"

"Well, what else, man? Surfing!" he exclaimed. Bradin could tell that Bryce was not drinking his first beer. "I've been watching you, at practice and stuff, and you've gotten really good lately! Have you ever considered doing a show, or something?"

"Show" was the term most pro's used for competition, since when you got as good as they were, it was no longer a competition.

"I guess, man. I don't know, I'll have to talk to Jay," Bradin said, taking a sip from his beer.

"You do that! And then talk to me, I'll set something up! Check ya later, bro."

Bradin nodded as Bryce walked off, following two girls in tight tees and mini skirts down the hall. He laughed when Lucas walked up to him. "Hey." They shook hands and started laughing at how ridiculous Bryce looked so early in the party.

"You think he'll remember to do that tomorrow morning?" Lucas asked.

"Probably not," Bradin answered. "I don't even think I want to enter into anything just yet, anyway."

"Why not, man? Bryce was wasted, sure, but he wasn't lying: you really are getting better on the team. Even Coach is beginning to notice."

"We'll see how everything goes," Bradin said before saying bye and walking off.

Somehow during the next half hour, Bradin managed to get himself stuck into a drinking game with a couple other people he knew on the team and several other people he didn't know at all. So, needless to say, by the time 8:30 rolled around, Bradin was seeing double and trying his best to stand up straight as he waited for Ashley.

"Bradin?" He looked in the direction of the voice that called him, and thought he saw Ashley approaching, but when the girl got closer he realized it was Michelle. He stiffened against the door he was holding himself on. "There you are," Michelle smiled, coming closer to him. "I knew I could find you somewhere around here. Geeze, I wish my high school parties were as wild as this one."

"What are you doing here, Michelle?"

"Didn't you get my text message? I told you I was coming to see you," she noticed then that Bradin was trying his best to stand straight. "A little under the weather, are we?"

"I'm waiting for Ashley."

"Yes, it seems that's all you do recently," she commented. "It's kind of sad, though, waiting around for her like a little puppy without his master. Wouldn't you like the roles reversed?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm just saying, I know she's older than you and in college and everything, but don't you feel a little like a baby, waiting around for her to make the first move? I mean, I can't imagine that's good for your dominant hormones. It has to bug you a little, right?"

"I guess," Bradin admitted. "It would be fun to be the one in control for just a day or so."

"But I can't imagine Ashley let's you be." Just then, his cell phone rang from inside his pant's pocket. "I'll get it." Bradin looked down and let her reach into his pocket and retrieve his phone. "Oh, a text message … from Ashley: running a little late, but don't worry I'll be there soon. Wait outside for me. Sounds pretty controlling to me."

"What are you getting at?"

"If you were with me, I would let you be in control the whole time," Michelle said with a smile as she put his phone back. But just that moment, a couple of rowdy girls ran by and bumped into her, causing her to bump into Bradin. She looked up at him and said, "Whoops."

Bradin looked down at her, and took her hand. "Do you wanna go outside?"

"Yeah," she smiled.

* * *

"So, who are you looking for again?" Bryce asked Ashley as she continued to search around the house for Bradin.

"Bradin. Bradin Westerly?" she said to him. "Have you seen him?"

Bryce thought for a moment and took another sip from his beer. "Yes! Yes, I did. He was right over here." He walked down the beach for a little bit, until Ashley looked in the distance and saw no one.

"No one's over there," she said. "You're drunk. Why am I even listening to you?"

"Because you find me so much more attractive than that petty high school boy," Bryce answered, stepping in front of her and taking a hand in his.

"Yeah, right. This whole drunk, surfer boy thing you got going on is so hot I can barely keep my hands off of you right now," Ashley said, disgusted as she pried her hand from Bryce's grip.

"Don't play hard to get, I get it!" he yelled as she walked away, shaking her head. "You'll come back to me once you realize he's not worth it!"

He didn't have to yell, though, because when Ashley turned around she got a glimpse at a couple making out against a wall of the house and stopped when she instantly recognized that golden hair.

"Bradin?" she said quietly, telling herself that it couldn't possibly be him. She looked away, then looked back at the couple to see Michelle smiling face as she moved away from him for a moment and he instantly began kissing down her neck. "Oh my, God. Oh my, God!"

He hadn't heard her, however, so Michelle winked then went back to kissing him. Ashley felt like she was going to throw up when the final thought hit her; she was watching her boyfriend make out incessantly with the devil herself and he didn't seem to be giving a damn that Ashley was watching in the first place. Bryce walked up to her and couldn't help but chuckle as he realized what was going on in front of him.

"Wow, Westerly. I didn't know you had that in you."

"Shut up," Ashley commanded.

"Yes, m'am," Bryce smiled at her.

Without thinking things through, Ashley grabbed his cup, which was a little more than halfway filled with beer and chugged it all in one gulp. Then, she threw the cup on the sand and grabbed Bryce's shirt, pulling his face towards hers and kissed him. Even though she instantly felt his tongue slide into her mouth and cringed inside, one more look at the "happy couple" still going at it a few feet away solidified her choice and she moaned into the kiss, telling Bryce that she wanted more.

* * *

There ya go; a little more drama for y'all. haha Too much, too little? Let me know! And as I said before, I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to update again before Saturday so this might have to last you a while longer.

Song of the chapter: "Kiss on Me" by Tyler Hilton (I just saw Charlie Bartlett this weekend and I loved his role in it, so I was in the mood for some Hilton! haha)


	28. Chapter 28: For the Windows in Paradise

So, I hope I still have readers and reviewers left after my LONG-ASS absence!! I was on vacation for two weeks, and then I came back and didn't really know how to continue this story. I'm still not 100 percent sure ... but I kind of have an idea? haha Whatever, I'm just gunna roll with it and let me know if it sucks, okay?

I want to thank my amazing reviewers from last chapter:

**slimshadyzlady: **I'm sorry you felt that way about my last chapter. But don't worry – the one thing I definitely know about this story's end is that Michelle will get her just desserts.

**6Ellie6: **Yeah, you can guess things with Bradin and Ashley are gunna be pretty awkward for the next few chapters ...

**Ash Riley: **Okay, so I got off Facebook for the next hour or so to write this chapter! haha And it's gunna rock!! Thank you for saying how believable my dialogue is – that I believe is my specialty and I love hearing that I'm doing a good job on it. If you don't like happy endings ... you may actually like this chapter. A lot. But who knows, right? Enjoy!

Also, thank you **angelprncess18**, **SummerBreezeGurl77**, **JmacKarla**, and **acciodanrad9** for your kind reviews. Enjoy the new chapter! And I hope it makes up for the LONGG wait.

* * *

Chapter 28: For the Windows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti

The following morning Ashley awoke to the sound of The Bravery on her cell phone, the bright California sun blinding her through her blinds, and a major headache the second she opened her eyes and the memories of the night before hit her. She groaned and quickly looked over to Brooke's bed, hoping to not have woken her, but was not shocked when she saw the bed still fully made.

"_At least some things in my life never change,"_ she thought as she sat up in bed and reached over for her phone. One missed call and one new text message. _"Wonder who they could be from?"_ she thought dryly. After a moments hesitation, she flipped open her phone and read the message not surprisedly from Bradin:

"Ash … i don't kno how else 2 say this but just 2 say it – i'm sorry. i'm SOOO sorry, baby!! God gave me the fortune, or curse, 2 actually remember wht happened last nite & i was an idiot – a HUGEE idiot! i don't know wht else 2 say but tht & again sorry … but i remember tht u have a meeting 2day & i'll b there. mayb we could talk after? i just want 2 explain myself-"

"_Enough of this!"_ Ashley slammed her phone down on her bed and bit her lip to keep from crying this early in the morning. _"What time is it?"_ Checking her clock, she saw that it was 8:45 a.m. and she had to be at Mr. Rainy's office promptly at 10 a.m. and she still didn't know exactly where it was. Pushing all thoughts of Bradin, Michelle, and the sight of Bradin and Michelle together to the back of mind, Ashley quickly got out of bed and began getting ready for her meeting.

--

Arriving precisely at 10 a.m., Ashley walked up to the secretary's desk. Even though it was a Saturday morning and normal office's would be closed, Mr. Rainy's was not. Seeing everyone bustle around, it seemed just like a regular day to her. The secretary – a Mrs. Watson – was even shuffling through papers, taking notes, and answering calls just like a regular day in the office.

When Ashley walked up to her, however, she stopped what she was doing and smiled at her. "Are you Ashley Danes?" she asked and Ashley could sense a hint of a southern accent.

"Yeah. Yes, I have a meeting-"

"-with Mr. Rainy, right? He just called down to see if you had showed. I'll take you up there right away."

"Thanks," Ashley said as Mrs. Watson came out from behind her desk and walked with her to the elevators in the lobby.

"So, who exactly is in this meeting?" Ashley asked while they were in the elevator. She tried to keep the nervousness from showing in her voice, but Mrs. Watson could sense the girl's nerves the second she walked up to the desk and gave her a pat on the back.

"No need to worry. It's just between you, Mr. Rainy, and the head of the talent department, Mr. Woods. Besides, I let in a friend of yours about five minutes before you came."

"Friend?"

"Yes, a handsome young man came in here earlier and said that he was your moral support. I think the name was Brandon …?"

Ashley's face went white. "Bradin," she said quietly.

"Yes! That's it!" Just then the elevator doors opened and Mrs. Watson was leading her down a hallway. "He seemed like fine young man. Boyfriend?"

She opened the door to the conference room and the first face that Ashley saw was Bradin's front and center. "He was," she answered, looking directly at him with sadness in her voice. But then she regained her composure as Mr. Rainy and Woods stood up at the sound of her voice and began shaking her hand. "Thank you for showing me the way, Mrs. Watson," Ashley said politely as she turned to leave.

"Now, Ms. Danes. Why don't you have a seat next to Bradin over there and we can begin this meeting," Mr. Rainy said joyfully. That was the last place Ashley wanted to sit, but she had to oblige. The second that Bradin turned to offer a smile, she looked straight ahead at the two figure heads before her and forced a smile.

"I'm so sorry that I was late."

"No worries; you're here now," Mr. Rainy said. "Now, let's get down to business."

--

"Bottom line, Ashley," Mr. Woods said at the end of what seemed like a Shakespearian monologue by Mr. Rainy, "we want you to sign with Rainy Records today because we believe- No, we **know** that you have talent, you have the voice, and you have the conviction to make it in this business. So, what do you say?"

Ashley looked back and forth from Mr. Rainy and Mr. Woods' smiling faces and then down to the contract Mr. Woods had just placed in front of her. She didn't know that a small meeting she had originally set up could turn into a life-altering experience. This was too much for her to take in, especially with Bradin right beside her giving her little nudges and whispering in her ear that it would be a great opportunity for her to take.

"But, I haven't even graduated from college yet," she said, "and I'm not even sure I want to become a singer, professionally. I'm sorry, but … I don't know."

Bradin spoke up. "I think what Ashley's trying to say is that she didn't expect today to turn into a contract. Can you give her a few days to think it over?"

_"How dare you tell them what I think!"_ Ashley thought. _"Even though, that kinda was what I was thinking …"_

"Okay," Mr. Rainy said. "I understand. Is that what you want, Ashley? Because we can always have you come back later on this week to make a decision."

"Yeah, I think that would be better," Ashley said, looking up from her lap.

"Okay, we can do that," Mr. Woods said. "But before you go, I want to remind you that we currently have JoJo, Vanessa Hudgens, and Cheyenne Kimball under our management and they are all around the same age as you. Just to let you know: it can be done. Tutors are always available if you wanted to continue your education on the road and-"

"Bryan," Mr. Rainy interrupted as he stood up, "I think she gets the picture. We'll be in contact, Ashley."

Mr. Woods and Mr. Rainy exited the room, leaving Ashley and Bradin alone the first time since the night before. Ashley didn't know what to do with herself. A million thoughts were running around inside her head that she couldn't even think straight. She grabbed the glass of water provided for her and took a long sip until it was empty. Putting it down on the table, she didn't dare look at Bradin and sighed.

"Well, that was … interesting," he spoke up. She could tell he was looking at her, waiting, hoping for her to say something back to him, to acknowledge his presence since she had pretty much ignored him since walking into the room an hour before.

But she would not give him the satisfaction. She stood up, picked up her purse, and walked out to the elevators, all the while Bradin following her. They got into an elevator together, but Ashley stared straight ahead and waited patiently until they reached the lobby. Even outside, she put on her sunglasses to shield her sensitive eyes from the always bright California sun and walked to her car. She had not taken the time to realize before, but she was parked right next to Bradin's car.

Bradin followed her to the parking lot before he could take her silent treatment no longer and had to say something to her. "Ashley, don't you think this is a little childish?" She spun around on her heel and glared at him the best she could through her sunglasses. He waited for her to yell at him, but nothing came. "You won't even acknowledge me enough to yell at me? Wow, that's cold." He stepped closer to her and came around his car to stand next to her at her driver's side. "Did you get my text message this morning? I tried to call too, but you didn't answer."

_"That's because you woke me up, jackass,"_ she thought bitterly. _"Even though, technically I would have been even more late if you hadn't …"_

"I know that that does by no means justify what I did last night, but I want you to hear my side of the story. And since you aren't talking to me, I guess now's as good a time as ever." Ashley sighed, put her keys into the pocket of her jeans, and crossed her arms in front of her chest, not looking him in the eye but giving him her full attention. "Okay, this is gunna sound lame, but I was drunk. Obviously. I was waiting for you inside, when Michelle came up to me and we started talking. She actually made a couple of good points-"

"What could she have said that resulted in you two making out?" Ashley snapped.

"You're talking to me now?" Bradin asked hopefully. _"It's a step closer."_

"Just answer the question." He could practically feel the coldness dripping off her words.

"Well, this is gunna sound really bad …"

"Just tell me."

Bradin took a deep breath. "I told her that it would be nice if I could be the one in control in this relationship for once." He braced himself for the slapping and yelling.

"Wow," was all Ashley could manage.

"… And she basically sweet-talked me by telling me that to her it seemed like I'm always waiting on you, like a little puppy, and if her and I were together that I would be the one in control the whole time."

"Woah …"

"Yeah … I-"

"I can't believe you talked to her about something that should have been discussed with me!" Ashley yelled. "Disregarding your actions afterwards, you could've easily come to me and told me what you told her. Relationships are about communication, Bradin. Without it, we're pretty much screwed. And you chose to take the low road, turn into a jackass, and confess our issues to her! Oh, and then you liked her answer so much that you rewarded her with a heavy make-out session and who knows what more."

"It just stopped at that, I swear," he was quick to interject. "The truth is, Ashley, that I didn't even know we had a control problem until she brought it up. I thought our relationship was perfectly fine before she suggested otherwise. I love you, Ash, and I made the biggest mistake of my life last night. I knew how much you hated Michelle, knew the dirty things she's done to you in the past, but I just didn't think and-"

"You sure as hell didn't think last night," Ashley said, pulling away when he tried to grab her hand. "I loved you too, Bradin. I thought that you loved me and respected me, but that obviously wasn't true. And the whole 'I was drunk' excuse doesn't fly here. We both know that you act on your true thoughts when there's alcohol involved."

"Ash, please! Just listen-"

"No! You know what, I am done listening to your excuses and lies. I thought I loved you, but I don't, I thought I could trust you, but I obviously can't," Ashley got into her car and shut the door in his face. Before she backed out of the lot, she said, "You just lost all of my respect, Bradin Westerly, please don't ever think of talking to me again."

She then drove off with a broken down Bradin hanging onto his car to keep from passing out. Never had he ever lost someone that he cared so much about and loved so much as Ashley. His past relationships couldn't even hold a candle to Ashley, and now it looked like he would never even see her again.

* * *

Sad, right? Well, y'all love the drama so I gave it to ya. Review for a quicker new chapter, because in the time I spent writing this I got my idea for the ending!! It'll only be a few more chapters now ...

Song of the Chapter: "For the Windows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti" by Sufjan Stevens as heard on The OC. I think you have to hear the song to understand why I chose it for this depressing chapter.


	29. Chapter 29: Paint the Silence

Okay, so I think I'm gunna go back to the every-two-days rule I had going on before my vacation ... I find that life after those two weeks has slowed down dramatically, so why not push this story and get it done while I still have the time? Like I said before, I pretty much have the final chapters finished up in my head – it's just the matter or writing them down and getting them out there to ya. But fear not: I have another Summerland story in the works soon after this one! I hope to see y'all back for that one as well.

**angelprncess18: **haha So I take it you're a big fan of Bradin/Ashley? Don't worry – everything that is supposed to happen will by the end of this story. And I think I'd be more concerned with your story (February, really?!) than my updating ... haha But thank you for your kind words!

**Ash Riley: **Yeah, I was thinking of having them get back together right away, but like you said it's more realistic if they don't. And I know this "didn't happen" and "won't happen", but might as well make it as realistic as you can, right?

**JmacKarla: **Don't worry, you'll see Michelle's future in a couple short chapters ...

Also thank you **supernaturalsdarkangel08** (are you a fan of the TV show too?!), **HistoryNerd**, and **justthegirl07** for reviewing!

* * *

Chapter 29: Paint the Silence

"Hey, Ava."

"Oh good morning, Susannah," Ava smiled back at her business partner as she looked up from her desk.

"Okay, is it just me or does Bradin seem different lately?" Susannah asked as she put down her mug of coffee on the desk and looked down at the brooding teenage boy at the kitchen table.

"He does?" Ava paused her drawing of a new idea for a cocktail dress and leaned over the desk to also get a view of Bradin. He was slouched over a bowl of cereal, holding his head with a hand and gazing into the mess of Cherrios and milk as he moved them around with a spoon.

"Okay, maybe he does. Do you know of anything happening lately?" Susannah just shrugged her shoulders in response. "Maybe something happened with a friend, or Ashley?"

"I think the only clear way to know the answer is to ask him," Susannah said. "And since you're the closest one to the stairs … maybe you should do it."

Ava frowned. "I don't see the logic in that one."

"Just think it over for a bit while you're walking to him," she smiled. "It'll come."

Ava rolled her eyes, but moved her chair out of the way and walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to find out what was wrong with her normally happy nephew.

"Bradin, are you okay, hunny?" she asked gently as she approached him. He didn't seem to notice her as he kept swirling the contents of the bowl round and round with the spoon. "Is anything wrong?" she asked again as she moved closer and tentively put a hand on his shoulder.

At the touch, he jumped a little and his eyes widened as he seemed to notice his aunt standing in front of him for the first time. He sighed as he caught his breath and rested a hand on the table while facing her.

"Jesus, Aunt Ava," he said, "you scared me half to death."

"I'm sorry, hunny," Ava tried her best to smile as she pulled out a chair and sat down next to him. "I just wanted to know if something happened. These past couple of days, Susannah and I have been real busy with the line, preparing for it to go global in a couple months, and I felt bad for noticing that you've been pretty down lately but not saying anything. Is there anything for me to worry about?"

"No, Aunt Ava, I'm fine," he was quick to reassure her, because he could sense that she was thinking the worst again. "I mean, not completely, but it's not **that** bad. They're all in the sewers anyway." He referred to the extra package of drugs that Johnny and Jay flushed down the toilet upon inspection.

"Then, what's going on?" Ava asked gently. "Is it Ashley? Are you two fighting?" Bradin didn't say anything, he just looked down at his lap. "You know that you can tell me anything, right Bradin?"

"Yeah, I know that," he replied. "And you're right; it is with Ashley. We kinda … well, we're not doing too great lately. I think we kinda broke up."

"Oh, hunny, I'm sorry," she reached over and placed a hand on his knee.

"It was my fault," he said. "I … I messed it up. Like I always do with a girl I really like. But this time was different, Aunt Ava. Ashley's not like Erica or Callie, and she's definitely not like Sara. I think I really cared about her. No, I still really care about her. Aunt Ava, I'm in love with her. So much so that it's killing me right now not to be able to talk to her, to see her face, to just sit here and wallow in self pity!" He sighed again and leaned back in the chair. "What am I supposed to do, though? She made it perfectly clear last time that she doesn't want to see me ever again. I wouldn't blame her right now for hating me."

"Hey," Ava said to get his attention. "Nothing anyone could do – maybe besides killing someone – could warrant hate. And Ashley's a smart girl. As long as you apologized-"

"I **more** than apologized," Bradin interrupted.

"-then I don't see the harm in making your presence known," she finished.

"What do you mean?"

"Flowers," she stated. "Send her flowers, write a card, something … you know, romantic. Something you two share."

"What if she really hates me, though, and just ignores them?"

"It can't hurt, right?" Ava smiled.

"I guess not …"

"Good. You do that and maybe I can get some work done around here without having to see you're miserable face everywhere."

Bradin laughed. "Thanks, Aunt Ava."

"No problem, sweetie." Ava quickly gave him a hug before she marched back upstairs to fill Susannah in and get back to her drawings and Bradin grabbed the phone book, a pad of paper, and the phone and went into his room, determined to win Ashley's trust and respect back.

--

Ashley sighed and tried her best to hide a yawn as she opened a new Microsoft Word document and began to copy down the notes her History professor just showed the class on a powerpoint. Monday classes were always the ones that Ashley practically slept through: History, Spanish, and finally Science. Which worked for her today, though, as she had problems concentrating the past couple days. Even as she copied down the notes, Ashley's mind was directly focused on the fight with Bradin outside Rainy Records.

She had talked all of her issues out with Alec and his new girlfriend, Erin, the night before and even they had reasoned with her that under the circumstances Bradin didn't really know what he was doing when he made out with Michelle. Their reasoning, combined with the lack of communication between herself and Bradin, told Ashley that he really was sorry and wanted to give her the space she had asked for.

_"Does that sound like the Bradin you know, or the one that would make out with Michelle?"_ she asked herself. As the professor rambled on and on about some infamous artifact found in the Amazon Rainforest, she answered herself that it was the Bradin she knew and loved. Deep down, the whole time Ashley knew the truth – that what Bradin had told her had been the truth – but she was just so caught up in the sight of them that she overlooked all the facts. _"I'm definitely not ready to make up with him,"_ she told herself, _"but I could sit down and talk to him again."_

Out of pure coincidence, Ashley told herself, an IM window popped up on the side of her computer screen. It was marked "unknown" and since she had deleted his screen name the day before, Ashley immediately knew it was him. Fighting the urge to smile, because she would not allow herself to, she accepted the IM and shifted a little closer to the screen to read it.

Her hopes faltered, though, as she read the message and she glared at the screen. It was from Michelle; "SO glad u were late Sat. nite!" She didn't reply, and got sent another one; "ur bf kisses SO good. would b a pity 2 lose tht …" Ashley fought the urge to throw her laptop out the open window next to her, since she was still in class and it was fairly new. She did, however, log off IM and go back to the working Word document. There were only 10 more minutes of class left and she didn't want to make a scene now.

--

Ashley walked slowly back to her dorm after Spanish had let out right around lunch time. She was hungry and she was tired. Not mentally tired, but emotionally tired. Michelle, after having spared her for a whole day yesterday, was back to her texting routine and had sent Ashley five in the past hour and a half. That, combined with regret over Bradin and just thoughts circling about this whole issue, caused her to suffer a brain freeze during the lesson and she couldn't remember how to say "Please pass the mushrooms" in front of her teacher to save her life.

_"I think I need a vacation,"_ she thought as she trudged through the back wooden path leading to her dorm building. _"And it's only Monday …"_

She stopped suddenly as she rounded the corner and saw a flower delivery man sitting in front of the door. When he spotted her, he got up from the ground and approached her.

"Are you Ashley?" he asked.

"Yes …" Ashley answered, ready to run for it if this guy tried anything weird.

"Please come with me," he simply said and walked to the parking lot. He turned back when he noticed her not following him and said, "Don't worry; I just have flowers for you, but they're too big for me to hold at once."

"Okay …" she was still wary, but followed him. _"Who could be sending me flowers?"_

When the man opened the back of the truck, Ashley saw the most beautiful and extravagant display of red and white roses she had ever seen. And all at once she knew who had sent them. "I told him they were my favorite," she whispered to herself as the man tried his best to get them out of the truck by himself. There must have been 10 of each color in a black with white polka-dots vase and a big red ribbon around the edge.

"Is there a card?" she asked as she opened the door for the man and led him down to her dorm room.

"He said he left it inside," the man said as he obviously was struggling with the vase.

"What?" Ashley got to her room, but it was already open and red and white petals were all over her floor. "Oh my, God." She moved out of the way to put the man out of his misery, then tipped him for the help and walked fully into her room to see that Bradin had strewn petals all over the room, but only on her side. They led up to her bed, where a whole bunch of petals lay and a box of chocolates in the shape of a heart and a letter simply addressed "Ashley". She sat down on the bed and opened the letter first. It began by citing a quote:

"Doubt thou the stars are fire

Doubt that the sun doth move

Doubt truth to be a liar

But never doubt my love."

"Hamlet," she said and read on:

"Dear Ashley,

After wracking my brain for two whole hours, I finally came up with a way for you to forgive me. And my solution was to ask you to dig deep down inside of you for any solid reason why I would even think of doing what I did, if I had not been under the influence. Either that, or just buy you a shit load of flowers and hope that you'd see how truly sorry and depressed I was that you would push past those memories and talk to me again. Obviously, you can see I ventured for the latter. I thought it was a safe bet.

But now, I'm asking you to do the first for me. Could you look down deep on your soul and come up with one solid reason? But now I'm thinking that to even get to read this letter you had to do that already, probably in the middle of class when you were really bored and couldn't help but question your thoughts. Is this beginning to sound a little stalkerish? Because, I swear that wasn't my intention.

I don't even know where to go from here. I guess it's time to leave the decision up to you. I'll be at Mona's Sandbar from now until 2 p.m. If you wanna come down and talk, I'll be there waiting for you. I can only say 'I'm sorry' for so long, but here it is one more time: I'm sorry, baby, and I love you.

Bradin"

_"I love you too, Bradin. I always have."_

Ashley quickly turned around and checked the time; 1:05. It would take her a little over half an hour to make it down to Mona's in the lunchtime buzz but she would try as best she could to make it there in time. She grabbed her keys, her purse, and the box of chocolates then quickly looked in the mirror and checked up her makeup, then ran out the door.

* * *

Is there a reconciliation coming up? And what will happen to Michelle?? You'll have to review and look out for the new chapter to find out ... Wow, I'm evil. haha

Song of the Chapter: "Paint the Silence" by South (again, from The OC – can you see which TV show I love right now?? haha)


	30. Chapter 30: Carry on Wayward Son

Okay, I'm back with a new chapter! Let's just thank the reviewers first:

**6Ellie6: **Thank you for the kind review, and no worries on missing a chapter! I'm just glad that you came back and kept reading! Enjoy the new chap!

**Ash Riley: **Hey girl! Yeah, I saw that quote up on a bulletin board during school and I thought that I could use it for something ... and there it was! haha Plus, it just sounded so perfect I had to add it somewhere!

**angel-prncess-18: **Yeah, hopefully you won't have to bit my head off!! haha They should be getting back together in the near future ... Whoops! Was that revealing too much? Oh well, everyone pretty much knew it anyway; I can't have a sad ending in my stories!

**supernaturalsdarkangel08: **I would ... but then I would have to kill you, so ... not so sure you want to hear the plans now, right? haha but just look up one comment and you'll get a glimpse into the future for this story.

Thank you also to **acciodanrad9**. Now, read and enjoy the new chapter!!

* * *

Chapter 30: Carry on Wayward Son

Bradin checked the time, again. 2:05 p.m. A few minutes later, he checked it once more. 2:11 p.m. He sighed, _"Maybe she really isn't coming."_ He shook his head; no! That couldn't be right! He had sent the flowers, 20 white and red roses that burned a hole in his wallet, he had written the perfect "please forgive me!" note, and he had even given her chocolates and decorated her room in rose petals. What more could she possibly want? He had given her everything he could think of.

He sighed again: 2:16 p.m. "She's not coming."

"What's with the long face, dude?" Johnny asked as he came over to Bradin's table with a towel in hand. "You've been sitting here for hours, sighing and looking at the clock every two minutes. Waiting for someone?"

"Ashley," Bradin replied. "But it looks like she's not coming. I guess I'd better-"

"-sit back down," Johnny smiled as he looked behind him, "because she's coming around the corner right now."

Bradin stood up and looked and sure enough Ashley was making her way around various tables as they spoke. She looked up and when her eyes caught on his, Bradin thought he saw a slight smile appear on her face. The hope alone made him want to run to her and pick her up, hug her to death and whisper his apologies again in her ear until she told him to stop, that she had already forgiven him and they kissed for hours in front of the whole restaurant.

"'Afternoon, Ashley," Johnny said politely as he warily watched Bradin's face. Ava had told him that Bradin and Ashley were going through a ruff patch in their relationship, so he figured he had asked her to meet him there today to talk about it.

"Hey, Johnny," she greeted back, her gaze not deflecting much from Bradin's.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you two alone now …" he trailed off as he walked back to the bar.

"You're here," Bradin said, for he was quite nervous and that was all he could say at the moment.

"I'm here," she repeated.

"You got my letter?"

"And the roses," Ashley smirked.

"Oh, that reminds me." He reached inside the cushioned seats and brought out another rose, this one a mix of red and white.

"Another one," she smiled as she accepted it. "You didn't have to-"

"Yes, I did," he stepped closer. "I was an ass. A real big ass. And … I really regret what I did and that I hurt you so much."

"I know you do; I read the letter. It got me thinking that maybe I was a little too harsh on you."

"No, you-"

"Bradin, let me talk," she said. "I have to get this out." He nodded and gestured to the table. She nodded her head and pulled him on the same side of the booth as her. "You were right, though, you were an ass. A giant ass. What you did hurt me, it really did, but I think that I didn't give Michelle that much credit because I know what she does, what she's capable of. She did date my brother, you know, and she manipulated him the whole time. I forgot about this because I was too caught up with you. I love you, Bradin. You're the first real good guy that I've dated that I can say that to, and that scares me because I'm not used to being this vulnerable. I think that's why I took what happened so harshly, and I wouldn't even let you tell me your side of the story. So, bottom line: you were an ass and I was a little bit of an ass for not listening to you."

"Does this mean that-"

Ashley answered his question by pulling him closer and kissed him.

"We've been through a lot, Bradin. And I think to let one little bitch come between us now is stupid. Why give her the pleasure?" Ashley said. "I say we just move on from this and never talk about it again, okay?"

"Yeah," Bradin smiled as he moved closer. "I can do that."

Ashley smiled. "Good."

They kissed in the booth for a few more minutes until Bradin remembered what he wanted to tell Ashley.

"Hm … I was thinking this morning," he began as they gradually started pulling away.

"That's good," Ashley said absent-mindedly. "Using your brain is always good."

"I have a plan to get rid of her," he ploughed on.

"Get rid of who?"

"Michelle."

Ashley opened her eyes and pulled away. She gave him a look. "Really, Bradin?"

"No, no, it'll actually work, I'm sure of it."

"And how are you certain?"

He looked down. "I've used it before. It's a full-proof plan."

Ashley could sense that there was a backstory to this plan, but because he seemed reluctant to explain it to her she let it go and smiled. "Sounds good. What is it?"

"Okay," he leaned over the table and smiled. "It all starts with me giving her a call and, pretending, I tell her that I dumped you and want to be with someone who will let me have a little more power. So, she obviously likes the plan and wants to meet up. That's when I tell her that I've planned a road trip from here to Mexico and want her to come along. She'll like it, and we'll arrange to meet up later tonight. I'll tell her that we're taking her car and when she shows up in the car I tell her that I want to drive it the first half. She'll oblige and give me the keys and we'll get in. I'll turn it on, lock her door and close the door; her trapped inside. That's when the men that I already called from the psych ward will come over and take her away. Then, she'll be gone from our lives forever."

Ashley starred in amazement as Bradin finished telling her the plan that he had already used on Sara. He knew it would work, he just wanted to make sure Ashley was down with it.

"Do you like it?"

"I love you," she said.

"I love you, too," he smiled. She kissed him and at that moment Bradin knew that they would never separate again. After a little while, he reluctantly pulled away. "But, we really have to get started on this because the guys are coming around 5:00 whether we are ready or not."

"Then you better make the call," she said.

--

"Okay, Bradin, I'll meet you at the beach then," Michelle said over the phone.

"Yeah, I'll see you then," Bradin said.

"I'm so glad you finally woke up and realized there's no future with that infant," she smiled evilly. "I can't wait to go away with you."

"Me too."

Bradin hung up the phone and looked at Ashley, who had been listening the whole time. She looked like she was about to throw up, and he took her hand across the table for support. "I'm so sorry, baby. You know that I was only pretending."

"I know," she said. She gave his hand a supportive squeeze. "It still sucked to hear her voice, though. I can't wait to see her being hauled away in that van."

"I think it's gunna be a great feeling for both of us," he said.

"So, what time are you supposed to meet her?"

"Around 4:45 – in an hour or so."

"What can we do until then?" she asked suggestively as she played with his hand.

"Don't you have Science in a little bit?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes," she said, "but I think ruining Michelle's life comes way before that in important points. Besides, we're just reviewing for the test later on this week and I can get the notes from a friend later. I think that we should spend more time together."

"I haven't hung out with you in a few days …"

"And since we do have the time … Wait, didn't you have school today?" she just remembered that he was in high school.

"Yeah. My aunt called in and told them I was sick."

"Bradin! Liar!" she faked shock.

"How do you think I came up with the 20 roses and chocolate scenario?" he asked. "I needed a woman's perspective for a little help. Besides, she also helped me with the Michelle thing too."

"How did you come up with that, anyway?" Ashley ventured to ask. They were still at the restaurant and Bradin seemed to move on from his little "sad" episode from before.

"I, uh … used it once before," he started. He knew that he would have to tell Ashley about Sara eventually, and since they had time now was as good a time as any. "I had this girlfriend, a couple years ago that wasn't as manipulative as Michelle, but definitely crazier than her. Long story short, things went a little fast for me and since this was the first summer I spent here I didn't really know how to deal so I asked my aunt and Callie, who was a good friend at the time, and they helped me by sending her away. We used the same plan as this one, so that's how I knew it would work, even though Michelle's a little different."

"Oh," Ashley said. "You sure have had some crazy girlfriends."

Bradin chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I have. But I think I found my equal right here."

Ashley smiled. "I'm glad that I'm not one of them."

"Who says you aren't?" he joked. She playfully reached over and hit him on the shoulder but then laughed and kissed him.

--

"Can I drive the first leg of the trip?" Bradin asked as Michelle was about to get into the driver's side of her car. "I've always wanted to see what these things can do."

"Sure," Michelle smiled and handed him the keys. "We'll stop at the border and switch off. Hey, where's your luggage?"

Bradin stopped. _"Shit!"_ he thought. _"I forgot to bring along a bag or two."_ He turned to face her. "All my clothes smelled like her," he tried to act disgusted. "I was just gunna buy new stuff down there. It's cheaper right?"

"Yeah, no problem in that. We can't have you spelling like the enemy, now can we?"

"No, we can not," he said with a small eye roll as he entered her car. He turned on the engine, then immediately locked her door and closed his.

"What's up?" she asked. "I can't open my window …"

"Really?" he asked obliviously.

Just then a knock came to his window and Ashley appeared, smiling at him and giving him a wink. He rolled down his window and Ashley smiled at Michelle.

"What is she doing here?" Michelle asked.

"I wanted to come and watch your departure from my life," Ashley explained. "Guys?" She signaled two men in all white from the psych ward, who got out of their truck and walked over to Michelle's side of the car.

"What the fuck?" Michelle said. "What are they doing here? You set me up, Bradin?"

"Yeah, I did," he got out of the car and put an arm around Ashley. "You had to know that it would take much more than **you** to break us up."

"Whatever," Michelle glared at them as the two men got her out of the car and held her hands behind her back so she wouldn't get to escape. "I still know what you did, Ashley, and I will never forgive you for killing Trey! We were gunna spend the rest of our lives together!"

"Okay, we both know that isn't true, you little bitch," Ashley snapped back. "Trey would've figured out who you were doing behind his back eventually, or I would've told him. He may have loved you, but you didn't give a damn about his true feelings. I never want to see your ugly face again, you hear that?"

Michelle just laughed in response as they put her in the back of the truck and tightly sealed it. When they drove off, Ashley could still hear Michelle's crazy laughter coming from the back of the truck and she shivered.

"Are you okay?" Bradin asked when he felt her vibration.

"Yeah," she responded as she watched the truck drive away. "I just can't believe it's really over."

"Yeah, the attendant I spoke with earlier said she would never get released again, so you'll never have to see or deal with her again."

"It feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders," Ashley smiled at him. "So, what do ya wanna do now?"

"Well, I let my aunt know what was going on and she offered to make us a celebratory dinner tonight," he said. "Want do you say?"

"I say … that there's nowhere else I'd rather be," she smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "Plus, you're aunt's cooking rocks!"

They laughed together and held hands as they walked down the beach and over to his house during the sunset.

* * *

Cute ending, no? haha And, I think I totally copied the ending from "Skipping School", but it's the only one that would come to me after her being taken away. Sorry! So, it looked like there's only gunna be a couple more chapters left ... Just thought you should know. haha

Song of the Chapter: "Carry on Wayward Son" by Kansas (I thought it worked for the time that Bradin was remembering his time spent with Sara)


	31. Chapter 31: You My Love

Okay, so I'm really sorry about the long break there!! There's only a couple more chapters left, and I'm making you guys wait it out, which I hate doing with the stories that I read on here so I'm not gunna have you guys go through that. haha I promise that after this one, you will get the FINAL chapter no longer than a week from now.

**JmacKarla: **SO sorry that I missed you last chapter! I had just finished submitting it when I got the email, but I'm hoping you won't mind since I mention you now!

**Ash Riley: **haha Yeah, I should have gone with Bradin and Ashley just sticking her in her car and having it fall off a cliff ... but I didn't think that would seem normal. Not like anything about this story is remotely "normal" ... but I just wanted some sense of it somewhere. haha

**angel-prncess-18: **Yeah, the whole time I was writing that last scene I had visions of the actual show running through my head, and I think that actually helped me write it better because I had a better image in my head.

**6Ellie6: **haha You'd be right – I got the song from Supernatural. BEST USE OF A SONG EVERR!! It sure stuck in my head, and it was enough for me to buy the song on itunes. haha Yeah, I am SO counting down the days until its 4th season premiere (39 as of today), because I want to know what happens to Dean and Sam!! AHH!! The wait is killing me!! haha But at least we have the reruns to keep us company, and those DVDs.

Also thanks to **supernaturalsdarkangel08** for your kind words. And now on to the second to last chapter of _Temptations_.

* * *

Chapter 31: You My Love

"Thanks again, Ava, for a wonderful meal," Ashley smiled. "I really appreciate it after the day I've had."

"No problem, sweetie. I just want to let you know, speaking for all of us," Ava gestered to the table full of smiling faces, "that we are all so proud of you and Bradin for doing what you did today. I know that Trey would be extremely proud of you."

Ashley smiled some more. "I know that he's proud right now, and I think especially relieved that she won't ever harm anyone again."

"Okay, enough of the sap talk," Bradin interrupted with a smirk, noticing that Ashley was on the verge of tears. "Ashley and I are going for a walk now."

"We are?" she asked him, wiping her eyes and looking at him.

"Yes, we are. I want to show you something." He led her out the back door just behind them and called out over his shoulder, "Don't wait up!"

"Bradin, you have school tomorrow!" Johnny called back.

"Dammit," he muttered under his breath, which caused Ashley to laugh. "I'll be home by 11:00."

"What are you going to show me?" Ashley asked.

"You'll see," he said mysteriously.

"Can I have a hint?"

"I think you have to work on your patience," he ignored the question.

"Bradin! You know that I'm not good with surprises. Just tell me!" she argued.

"Okay, okay. Hold on," he smiled, taking her hand. He pulled a handkerchief out of his shorts pocket and showed it to her. "Put it on; we're almost there and I don't want you seeing anything before you should."

"Ooh, kinky," Ashley joked with a laugh. "Fine, but you have to put it on for me."

Bradin gladly put the silk handkerchief over Ashley's eyes, then went behind her and took both her hands, leading her some more down the beach, away from all the beach houses and prying eyes. What he was about to show her was strictly between the two of them, and he would not have anyone else interrupting their time together. _"Not after I worked so hard on preparing for tonight,"_ he thought.

"How far away is this?" she asked after they walked in silence for the next five minutes.

"Don't worry, just a few more feet and we'll be there," he chuckled, amused by how cute she was when she was impatient. "Just, watch your step here … and … you can take off the blindfold." He dropped her hands after seating her down on a blanket.

Ashley smiled, removed the handkerchief, and let her eyes adjust to the dark for a moment before she saw what was before her and gasped. "Oh my God, Bradin! You did this all for me?" There was a mini bond-fire set up before her, contained in a metal set up, but big enough to warm her cold hands from the some-what chilly wind in the air. They were sitting on a blanket, set up next to the fire and also holding two pillows, a cooler filled with something Ashley couldn't see, and random sticks set up next to the metal. "What are the sticks for?" she asked.

"S'mores," Bradin answered simply. She gave him a questioning look, before he smiled and pulled out marshmallows, chocolate, and a box of graham crackers from the cooler.

"Oh," Ashley laughed. _"Duh! What else did you think was inside the cooler?"_

"And, I snuck in some champagne," he pulled out a bottle and two glasses from behind the cooler.

"All this just for Michelle finally going away?" Ashley asked incredulously. She knew that Bradin was a romantic and liked to celebrate big, but she didn't think all of that was necessary for Michelle's capturement.

"That, and maybe something else …" he was again crypic as he opened the champagne bottle.

"What are you hiding from me, Bradin Westerly?"

This had been the part of the night Bradin was the most nervous about. He loved Ashley and he knew that she loved him back, but he didn't know how she was going to react to the ring. _"Maybe you're going too fast again, Westerly,"_ Bradin thought. _"What if she freaks out and everything's ruined? You __**don't**__ want to lose her, you idiot!" _

Ashley could tell that Bradin was having some inner dialogue with himself, so she took his hand and made him look into her eyes. "What's going on? Whatever you have to tell me, just tell me. We don't keep secrets anymore, remember?"

"It's not bad, Ash," he was quick to reassure her, because he could tell that was the direction her mind was going in. "I didn't do anything else bad; this isn't a lame attempt to get you to forgive me. I promise you I'm done doing that," he ended with a laugh, which got Ashley to breathe again and smile.

"Then, what is it?" she asked.

"Now?"

"Yes, now. You know how impatient I am."

"Okay …" Bradin took a deep breath, reached into his pocket once more, and pulled out a small gray case, only big enough for one thing and one thing only and Ashley put a hand to her mouth as she looked back into his eyes. He opened the case, revealing a silver diamond ring, with a decent-sized diamond in the middle and the words "Always and Forever" etched into the inner band.

"Wow," was all Ashley could manage. _"Is he gunna ask me to marry him?!"_

"This isn't a proposal," he again was quick to reassure her, because he could see her mind moving a mile a minute trying to process the ring. She noticeably relaxed. "It's a promise ring, because one day in the future I would like to marry you. I just think we should both be out of school before we do it." Ashley smiled and nodded her head. "Ashley, you have been everything to me these past months. I have been in love with you since the moment I saw you, walking into my hospital room in that ridiculous uniform. But on you, it didn't look outrageous or tacky, it look beautiful. You have a real future helping people, Ash, because without you I probably would have gone right back to the drugs the second Coach yelled at me again. But with your words of wisdom and life story of Trey, I learned that that's not the way to go. You're amazing, Ash. You're beautiful, caring, passionate, talented, smart, sexy, and wise beyond your years. I know that you are going to change the world one day, and I hope that I can be there for you all along the way. Will you accept this ring, Ashley Danes?"

"I will, Bradin Westerly," Ashley smiled while he placed the ring on her left ring finger. She peered down at it and couldn't believe her eyes. "Wow, it's really pretty," was all she could manage before tears threatened the fall from her eyes.

"So, that's what we're celebrating," he answered her original question.

"Yeah …" she kept looking down at her ring and smiling. "Does anyone else know?"

"No, I thought I'd ask you first," he said.

"Yeah … Sorry, I think I'm just in shock or something. It'll hit me soon."

Bradin smiled. "So, what should we do now?"

"I think I should sign with Rainy," Ashley randomly said, more to herself than anyone else.

"What?"

She looked up. "He left me a message on my cell today, telling me that no matter what I decide he's gunna send me the papers in the mail tomorrow. If I want to sign, I can fill them out and send them back, if not then I can just shred them. I think I should sign. What do you think?"

Bradin thought for a moment. "I think you should do whatever you think is best for you. I'll support you whichever way you decide-"

"Bradin, what do you really think? Should I do it, or not?" she asked him and he knew she didn't want his bullshit answer.

"I think you should go for it too," he said. "You're an amazing singer, Ash, and I know that you'll go far."

"Then I'll do it," Ashley smiled her million watt smile and laughed.

"What?" Bradin smirked.

"It just hit me," she laughed. "We're gunna get married!! I love you."

"I love you," Bradin said, taking her hand and pulling her close. He brought her down on his chest and played with her hair while she smiled and looked at the fire, stroking his hand across her waist. They stayed like that for a lifetime, each one lost in their own thoughts, but nonetheless thinking the same thing.

Eventually, Ashley flipped over and kissed him and then things got a little physical. _"I'm so glad no one else is around right now,"_ Bradin thought as he took off his shirt. He brought out another blanket and pulled that over the two of them to keep them warm from the cold air.

--

"Come over here after school and we'll sign the papers together," Bradin told Ashley as she walked him back to his house. They were leaning against her car door, and savoring some more kisses before curfew.

"Okay. I'll miss you until then," Ashley said.

"I always miss you when you're not around," Bradin whispered as he put his hands around her waist. She put her arms around his neck and they began kissing again, until they noticed the outdoor lights flickering and Bradin saw Johnny and Ava standing inside from behind a curtain.

Ashley laughed. "I guess that's your cue to go inside."

"And that's your cue to drive off. I'll see you tomorrow, future Mrs. Westerly," Bradin bit his lip before giving her one last kiss and pulling away.

Ashley smiled while she got in her car. "I like the sound of that; Mrs. Ashley Westerly." Bradin shut her door for her and gave her another last kiss before she started up the car and drove away.

* * *

Cute, right? But maybe too cliché? Let me know, because the promise ring was a last-minute addition. I hope it worked, because I didn't want to be like everyone else and have them just get married at the end.

Song of the Chapter: "You My Love" by Tyler Hilton (pretty obvious choice)

Look out for the FINAL chapter coming atcha sometime within this next week!!


	32. Chapter 32: Only Hope

Okay, here it is; the moment I have been looking forward to from the first day that I decided to write this story – the day when I would finish it! You don't understand, I have started plenty of stories on this site, but I have yet to finish any of them!! _Temptations_ is my first story to finish, and I'm really glad to share that with you all!

I want to thank a few reviewers who have been with me through most of my journey on here ...

**angel-prncess-18: **With 27 reviewed chapters under your belt, you are the review queen in my story! Congrats! I'm sure that really means a lot to you (haha), but it does mean a lot to me. I like to hear what people think of my work, and sure I'm okay with the self-less compliments, but I really appreciate the truth and I'm pretty sure that's what you gave to me. So, thanks for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy the last chapter!

**Ash Riley: **Oh, you made second place with 26 reviews (SO close to being number one!! haha). And you know already how much I love when you review and tell me what you really think, but I'm gunna tell ya one more time! It's been awesome talking to you through email and notes on here, and I wish you all the best with your story, then your new one soon after! I know you'll stay with me for the next story! (If not: we will never talk again. haha See, I can be mean too!)

**JmacKarla: **Coming in at number three is you with 21 reviews! And I so appreciate all of them! Like I mentioned with **angel**, I know that you give me the truth the whole time and I really like that, because how else will I know if I should even bother writing anymore? haha I need to hear what y'all really think, and I'm glad that most of you do do that. Oh, and don't worry – I hope to start my new story sometime this weekend/early next week! Look out for that! So, enjoy this chapter and please tell me what you think!

**6Ellie6: **Okay, so you only had 10 reviews, but in your defense you came to the story late and didn't get to tell me your thoughts before. I'm just glad that you even started reviewing at all! You're incredibly dedicated to this story and I'm so glad, because maybe you'll follow me to my next story soon after?? haha Thanks again and enjoy the new chapter!

Okay, I don't want to leave you hanging any longer, so please read and enjoy the final chapter of _Temptations_!

* * *

Chapter 32: Only Hope

Ashley took a deep breath, then let it out slowly as she stood in front of Bradin's door with her contract in her hands. All day, she had not been able to concentrate in her classes because all she could think about was the contract, her potential singing career, and her promise ring. She kept looking at it and playing with it, that she completely missed a lecture in her English class. She felt like she was in a daze, because standing there she couldn't remember for her life how she got to Bradin's house. Her car was in the driveway, so she had obviously driven, but her memory was void of the drive over.

Just as she was about to knock on the door, or ring the bell, it opened and Bradin was standing inside, smiling at her. "Hey, where you ever going to come in?" he asked.

"I don't know how I got here," Ashley replied, looking at him confused.

"I think you drove …" he pointed behind her to her car.

"No, I don't know how I got here, like in the sense of being here with you, about to sign this contract, with Michelle finally out of my life again," she tried to explain. "Does that make sense?"

"I think I get it," Bradin reached out a hand and pulled her inside. "I felt the same right after my parents died and we moved here. I couldn't understand how everything had changed so drastically and I was here. It's weird to recall now, but I remember hoping to all end that I would wake up from this bad dream and walk outside to see my farm instead of the beach. God, I remember when I didn't even like the beach!"

"Now you can hardly get off it, and out of the waves," Ashley said with a smile.

"Yeah, now I realize that moving here was a good thing. It was a great thing because I got to experience all this stuff and meet all different kinds of people-"

"You think meeting people like Michelle and Sara was a good thing?"

"Well, there are always exceptions. I met you here," he pulled her closer and put a hand on her cheek. "I guess I'm trying to say that there are always good and bad consequences to any decision, but it's up to you to make the most out of them and know when to change them. Wow, that sounded incredibly corny didn't it?"

Ashley laughed. "A little bit. But I can see your point and I think I know what to do now."

"And what's that?" he pulled her closer.

"I'm gunna sign these papers," Ashley smiled. She quickly gave him a kiss and looked into his eyes. "Thank you."

"That's what I'm here for," he smiled back. "Now, let's hit these papers!" He walked over to the couch and coffee table and moved all the newspapers, pens and pencils, and other miscellaneous things to the floor. "There we go."

"You know, we could have used the kitchen table, which is perfectly clean over there …" Ashley pointed to the table not five feet away from them.

"Yeah … but this one's got a couch nearby," he winked and sat down, holding out his hands for her to fall into, which she did.

"I see the logic there," she smiled. Ashley laid out the contract, all 50 pages describing her deal and telling her her rights. "Do I really have to sign all of these pages?"

"No," Bradin said, looking through the paperwork. "Only where they marked for you … so, basically only half of them."

Ashley laughed. "Do you have a pen?" Bradin picked one up for her from the floor.

"Here I go …"

Bradin smiled and put an arm around her shoulders. "You can do this, and I'll be there for you every step of the way."

Ashley smiled, kissed him again, then put her first initial and signature on the second page. She was on her third page when the front door opened and Nikki and Cameron came inside.

"Hey, Bradin, Ashley," Nikki greeted. "What are you guys doin'?"

"Signing Ashley's new singing contract. She's about to become the newest act under Rainy Records," Bradin explained, only turning his head around.

"Oh," Nikki said. "Congrats, Ashley! I had no idea …"

"Thanks," Ashley said, still signing. "Sorry, this might take a while and I wasn't planning on staying for dinner."

"But you know you're always welcome," Bradin said.

"I know. I just thought that we could celebrate later, alone," she looked up at him and gave him a smile.

"Yes, yes, we definitely can," Bradin said. "Sorry, Nik, tell Aunt Ava that I won't be home for dinner."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Fine, Bradin. You two have fun, and congratulations again, Ashley."

When the two of them walked upstairs, Bradin looked back to Ashley. "So, what exactly did you have planned for us later on?"

"You know, the usual. You. Me. Hot tub," she smiled at him.

"I never get tired of that plan …" Bradin smiled and quickly kissed her again, before letting her get back to signing the papers.

--

Three Months Later …

Ashley looked out at all the people that had come to her record release party and gasped when she saw Ava, Johnny, and the other members of Bradin's family. _"Bradin,"_ she thought dreamily. It had been weeks since she last saw him, and that had only been for 10 minutes because of her hectic schedule. She couldn't believe that it had only taken three months to write and record 12 songs (since she had to write or at least co-write all the songs on her album), get a makeover and take her album pictures, among other photo shoots, and keep in time with all her college assignments and reports. Needless to say, it had been a hectic three months and she was glad to be celebrating the release of her album, the very thing that had been causing her late nights and early mornings.

Joe Rainy walked up to Ashley behind the stage and gave her a pat on the back. "Okay, everything is all set up; I'm gunna go out there and introduce you, then you'll come out and sing … what song are you singing again?" But before she could open her mouth to respond, he had already remembered. "Oh, right, that slow song. Anyway, you'll sing that, stay for applause, then I'll come back out to announce the free CDs and tell everyone to go ahead to the party. Sound good?"

Ashley didn't respond, she was once again looking out at the audience, trying to see past all the people for one face that she absolutely could not perform without. "You're sure he RSVP'd?" she asked Joe.

Joe sighed, realizing the reason for her worried face. "Yes, he definitely RSVP'd. He'll be here, but we really have to start the show now …" He put a hand around her shoulders, and gave her a supportive squeeze. "You'll do great, Ash. I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks," Ashley said. "Thank you for being there, you know, all through this …"

"Hey, that's my job!" Joe said. "Now, time for you to shine!"

Joe walked out into the stage and the crowd began to applaud. Ashley watched as he picked up the mic and started talking, thanking everyone for coming. She again looked at the crowd, searching for Bradin's face. She saw Ava, Johnny, Susannah, Jay and his date (because he couldn't go anywhere without a date), Nikki and Cameron, and Derrick and Martha. Then, she felt her heart soar as Bradin's familiar face strode into the audience and he paused by Ava to probably say sorry for being late, before taking a seat right at the head of the table; not four feet from the stage itself. She beamed and instant butterflies started flying around in her stomach.

"Are you ready, Ash?" her band was standing behind her, already in position for when the drapes would open and they would begin playing.

"Yeah," Ashley smiled. "I'm ready now."

Before long, Joe announced her name and walked off the stage, letting the audience take him away with their applause. Ashley took another deep breath, the 300th one she had taken since arriving at the Playa Linda Concert Hall, grabbed her mic, and smiled while the drapes began to lift. The first person she saw after squinting a little at the light was Bradin and his smiling face was enough for her to find the strength and start singing. She didn't look away from his eyes the whole time.

"I wrote this song for someone special, and I'm really glad that he's here right now," she said into the mic.

_There's a song that's inside of my soul_

_It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again_

_I'm awake in the infinite cold, but you sing to me over_

_And over and over again_

_So I lay my head back down_

_And I lift my hands and pray to be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I know now you're my only hope_

_  
Sing to me the song of the stars_

_Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again_

_When it feels like my dreams are_

_So far, sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again_

_So I lay my head back down_

_And I lift my hands and pray to be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I know now you're my only hope_

_I give you my destiny, I'm giving you all of me_

_I want your symphony_

_Singing in all that I am at the top of my lungs_

_I'm giving it back_

_So I lay my head back down_

_And I lift my hands and pray to be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I know now you're my only hope_

Smiling, Ashley put the mic down, then picked it back up, "Thank you. I want to especially thank one man, who was my total inspiration. Bradin, do you wanna come up here?" she smiled down at him and he shook his head. "C'mon, you know you want to …" she taunted him. He again shook his head, even at the protest of Jay and Johnny sitting right behind him. "You know what," she said into the mic, "you don't have a choice." Ashley went down the stage stairs, grabbed his arm and pulled him up to his feet, then brought him back onto the stage. She dropped the mic from her mouth, and whispered into his ear, "I've missed you."

He whispered back, "I've missed you too. You were amazing up here, Ash."

Ashley smiled and said back into the mic, "So, for those of you that do not know, this is my boyfriend, Bradin, who I love very much. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today, so if any of you liked my song, thank him not me." To that, they heard a chorus of "thank you, Bradin's" and started laughing.

Bradin took the mic from her hand, and said, "Don't listen to her. She's the one that did all of this, and I am extremely proud of her! Ashley, you deserve all of this and I hope that a million people buy your CD because I listened to it already and it kicks everyone's ass! I love this woman, and now's I guess as good a time as any; I gave her a ring a few months ago, and we are thinking of marriage. Now, before you die of shock, Aunt Ava, don't worry; we won't do anything until I'm out of college. I just want to say thank you to this girl right here," Bradin put an arm around her shoulders, "because without her I don't think I would be here right now."

He put the mic down and pulled her close. "I love you, Ashley Danes," he said only to her. Then, to the aid of hundreds of the audiences, he leaned in and kissed her.

* * *

Song of the chapter: "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore

Well, it's done!! Please review and I'll reply if you tell me you loved it! haha Or, maybe I'll reply regardless. Who knows? Big thanks again to all the readers/reviewers!! And please look back here soon enough for my new story!


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